ho4 bak1河北
Jyutpingho4 bak1
Yalehòh bāk
Definition
Hebei province in northern China, or the northern bank of the Pearl River in urban Guangzhou.
- Hebei province in northern China
- slangThe northern bank of the Pearl River in urban Guangzhou
neutralplaces
How it's used
This term functions as a homonym with two distinct geographical meanings. While it refers to the northern Chinese province in a national context, locals in Guangzhou use it to describe the northern bank of the Pearl River. When discussing the Guangzhou area, it is often contrasted with 河南 to denote the two sides of the river.
Examples
I will go to Hebei for a few days next month.
Do you know where the capital of Hebei province is?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often assume it only refers to the northern province. In the context of Guangzhou city, it is a colloquial way to refer to the northern bank of the Pearl River, which can cause confusion if the speaker is talking about local city geography.
Grammar color guide
Noun
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Adjective
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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.
