gai2偈
Jyutpinggai2
Yalegái
Definition
A vehicle's combustion engine; figuratively used to refer to one's physical body or health.
- a vehicle's combustion engine
- figurativeone's physical body, health, or stamina
colloquialtransportother
How it's used
Derived from the English word gear, this term specifically refers to the internal combustion engine of a vehicle. It is frequently used in compound nouns related to vehicle maintenance, such as checking oil levels or engine performance. Beyond mechanics, it is occasionally used metaphorically to describe a person's physical stamina or health, similar to how one might describe a machine running well.
Measure word
fu3副fuExamples
The car's engine oil is leaking everywhere, it needs to be taken for repairs.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the homophone 偈, which means to chat or converse. While the pronunciation is identical, the context of vehicles versus social interaction makes them distinct.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
