hot3曷
Jyutpinghot3
Yalehot
Definition
An interrogative pronoun used in literary Chinese meaning how, what, or how very.
- literarywhat; how
- literaryhow very; how extremely
writtenother
How it's used
This character is strictly a literary borrowing used in specific set phrases to express rhetorical questions about degree or extent. It never appears in everyday spoken Cantonese and is reserved for formal writing or classical allusions. You will almost exclusively encounter it in the phrase 曷勝, which functions as a polite, humble way to say how could it be anything less than.
Examples
In this situation, how could I possibly be so honoured?
Related words
Common phrases
how could I be so honoured
how could I be anything but grateful
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a common question word like 點樣 or 乜嘢. Using it in casual conversation will sound extremely unnatural and pretentious, as it is a classical particle rather than a living vocabulary item.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
