ham1 jyu4堪虞
Jyutpingham1 jyu4
Yalehām yùh
Definition
Worrisome, concerning, or disconcerting; describing an unoptimistic situation.
writtendescriptions
How it's used
Reserved for formal or serious contexts, this term carries a heavy, almost ominous weight that suggests a situation is spiraling toward a negative outcome. It is frequently found in news reports or professional assessments rather than casual conversation. Using it in a lighthearted setting will sound overly dramatic or sarcastic.
Examples
Their economic situation is truly worrisome.
If things don't improve, the future looks bleak.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a general word for 'worried', but it describes the state of a situation itself rather than a person's internal feeling of anxiety. You would describe a project as 堪虞, but you would not say you feel 堪虞 about it.
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.
