gan1 dau2筋斗
Jyutpinggan1 dau2
Yalegān dáu
Definition
Somersault; a gymnastics move where a person jumps and rotates vertically in the air before landing on their feet.
colloquialdaily actionsbody
How it's used
Commonly paired with the verb 打, which acts as the primary way to express performing the action. While it refers to a physical somersault, it is also frequently used metaphorically in the phrase 跌個筋斗 to describe a sudden stumble or a significant setback in one's career or life.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
He loved doing somersaults on the grass when he was little.
Do you dare to do a somersault right here?
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid confusing this with 筋斗雲, which is the magical cloud used by the Monkey King in Journey to the West. Learners sometimes mistakenly think the word itself refers to the cloud rather than the physical movement.
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.
