geoi3 bou3據報据报
Jyutpinggeoi3 bou3
Yalegeui bou
Definition
According to reports, or according to someone's statement.
writtencommunicationother
How it's used
Commonly found in news broadcasts and formal written reports, this term functions as a way to distance the speaker from the accuracy of the information provided. It serves as a professional marker to indicate that the source of the claim is external rather than personal knowledge. While it appears in spoken news, it sounds quite stiff and journalistic in casual daily conversation.
Examples
It is reported that a fire broke out there.
They are reported to be moving out tomorrow.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use this in casual conversation to mean "I heard that," but it sounds overly formal and detached. For everyday gossip or hearsay, use 聽講 instead.
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.
