gwai1 ling4 gou1龜苓膏龟苓膏
Jyutpinggwai1 ling4 gou1
Yalegwāi lìhng gōu
Definition
Guilinggao; turtle jelly, a traditional Chinese herbal jelly made from turtle plastron and herbs.
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How it's used
Despite the name, most commercial versions sold in Hong Kong today do not contain actual turtle shell, using herbal substitutes instead. It is prized for its bitter, medicinal flavor and is often served with a small packet of honey or syrup to balance the intensity. You will frequently see it sold in specialized herbal tea shops alongside other cooling drinks.
Measure word
wun2碗wúnExamples
Do you like eating tortoise jelly?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 涼粉, which is a plain, mild jelly made from the mesona plant. While they look similar, 龜苓膏 has a distinct, bitter herbal taste, whereas 涼粉 is mostly flavorless and relies entirely on the syrup or milk added to it.
Grammar color guide
Noun
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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.
