gung1 jin4公然
Jyutpinggung1 jin4
Yalegūng yìhn
Definition
Openly, brazenly, or without concealment.
colloquialdescriptions
How it's used
Carries a strong negative connotation, implying that the action is brazen, shameless, or provocative. It is almost exclusively used to describe behavior that violates social norms, rules, or laws. Unlike the neutral term 公開, which simply means public, this word highlights the audacity of the perpetrator.
Examples
He actually scolded people openly on the street.
Why do you have to openly challenge company rules?
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using it for neutral or positive public actions, such as announcing a product or sharing news, as it will make the speaker sound like they are accusing someone of wrongdoing.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- 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.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
