hau6 goek3後腳后脚
Jyutpinghau6 goek3
Yalehauh geuk
Definition
A hind leg; or used figuratively to mean right after or immediately following someone else.
- hind leg; rear foot
- figurativeright after; immediately after another person has left or acted
colloquialpeopledaily actions
How it's used
This term is frequently used to describe a sequence of events where one person or action follows another in very close succession. It carries a sense of immediacy, often implying that the second party is trailing closely behind the first. It is rarely used to refer to the literal anatomy of an animal, which would typically be described using more specific anatomical terms.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with the Mandarin usage of 後腳, which can sometimes refer to the literal hind leg of an animal. In Cantonese, it is almost exclusively used in the metaphorical sense of following someone closely or arriving immediately after someone else.
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.
