gung1 on1公安
Jyutpinggung1 on1
Yalegūng ōn
Definition
Public security; the public security bureau or police officers in mainland China.
colloquialpeopleother
How it's used
Refers specifically to law enforcement officers within mainland China, rather than those in Hong Kong. Using this term to describe a Hong Kong police officer is incorrect and can be seen as confusing or even offensive, as Hong Kong police are referred to as 差佬 or 警察.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
He used to work as a public security officer in mainland China.
That public security officer asked to see my ID card.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use this term for any police officer they see in Hong Kong, but it is strictly reserved for the mainland Chinese context.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
