gwaan1 zi2關子关子
Jyutpinggwaan1 zi2
Yalegwāan jí
Definition
A suspenseful cliffhanger, climax, or key piece of information kept hidden to build anticipation.
colloquialcommunication
How it's used
Focuses on the deliberate act of withholding information to create anticipation or curiosity. It is almost exclusively used with the verb 賣 to form the set phrase 賣關子. You will rarely hear it used as a standalone noun outside of this specific collocation.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
Stop keeping me in suspense, tell me already!
He always likes to keep people in suspense when he talks, it is so annoying.
Related words
Common phrases
to keep someone in suspense
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with general secrets or mysteries. It specifically refers to the act of teasing someone by delaying the reveal of a punchline or a piece of news.
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.
