haam4 taam5 seoi2鹹淡水咸淡水
Jyutpinghaam4 taam5 seoi2
Yalehàahm táahm séui
Definition
Brackish water, an estuary, or figuratively, a business that is marginally legal.
- brackish water; an estuary where salt water and fresh water mix
- figurativea marginally legal business; a dodgy operation that is half legal and half illegal
colloquialnatureplaces
How it's used
Refers specifically to the brackish environment where a river meets the sea, creating a unique ecosystem. Beyond the literal geographical meaning, it is occasionally used metaphorically to describe situations that are in a gray area, neither fully one thing nor another.
Examples
That place is where the fresh and salt water meet, there are many fish.
Do you know where there is brackish water to catch crabs?
Related words
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
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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.
