gau3 zung1夠鐘够钟
Jyutpinggau3 zung1
Yalegau jūng
Definition
To reach the scheduled or designated time; time is up.
colloquialtime
How it's used
Indicates that a specific duration or deadline has been reached, often implying that an activity must stop immediately. It carries a sense of urgency or finality, making it common in professional or structured settings like school or work. It functions as a verb phrase, so it often appears with particles like 喇 to signal the transition of time.
Examples
Time's up, can we go now?
It's time to get off work, pack up and leave quickly.
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the Mandarin phrase 時間到了, which is more formal. Using 夠鐘 in a very formal written report might sound too casual, as it is firmly rooted in spoken Cantonese.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
