gu2 cou3鼓噪
Jyutpinggu2 cou3
Yalegú chou
Definition
To make a din, clamor, or complain vocally due to impatience or dissatisfaction.
colloquialpeoplecommunication
How it's used
This term specifically describes the collective noise or restless agitation of a crowd that is unhappy or impatient. It implies a sense of growing disorder where people are expressing their dissatisfaction through murmurs, shouting, or general clamor. It is rarely used to describe the complaint of a single individual, as it carries the nuance of a group dynamic.
Examples
The customers started complaining loudly because it was so late.
Stop making such a fuss, you will have a table in a moment.
Related words
Common phrases
clamor in dissatisfaction
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a general word for noise, but it specifically requires the context of dissatisfaction or protest. Using it to describe a happy, loud crowd would be incorrect.
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.
