gong2 lei5講理讲理
Jyutpinggong2 lei5
Yalegóng léih
Definition
To be reasonable; to reason with someone calmly and rationally.
colloquialcommunicationpeople
How it's used
Often used in the negative form 唔講理 to describe someone who is being stubborn or refusing to listen to logic. It carries a sense of frustration when dealing with someone who ignores facts or common sense. Unlike the formal Mandarin usage, it feels very direct and personal in a heated argument.
Examples
It is useless to try and reason with him.
Let us all sit down and reason this out calmly.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 講道理, which is a noun phrase meaning 'to explain the logic or principles behind something'. While 講理 is a verb phrase focused on the act of reasoning with someone, 講道理 is often used when lecturing or explaining why something is correct.
Grammar color guide
Noun
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Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
