gun1 min5 tong4 wong4冠冕堂皇
Jyutpinggun1 min5 tong4 wong4
Yalegūn míhn tòhng wòhng
Definition
Ostentatious; pompous or high-sounding on the surface to hide an underlying reality.
colloquialdescriptionspeople
How it's used
Implies a sharp contrast between a person's noble-sounding words and their actual, often selfish, intentions. It is almost exclusively used in a critical or sarcastic tone to expose hypocrisy. You will rarely hear it used to describe something genuinely sincere or honorable.
Examples
He speaks in such a high-sounding way, but he is actually trying to scam people.
Related words
Common phrases
high-sounding excuse
high-sounding reason
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a positive compliment because of the grand-sounding characters, but it is a negative term used to call out someone for being fake or manipulative.
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.
