hou4 tou4嚎啕
Jyutpinghou4 tou4
Yalehòuh tòuh
Definition
To wail; to cry loudly.
neutralemotion
How it's used
嚎啕 is almost exclusively used in the four character idiom 嚎啕大哭 to describe loud, uncontrollable sobbing. It carries a sense of intense emotional release or distress that goes beyond simple crying. While it is understood in spoken Cantonese, it retains a slightly literary or dramatic flavor compared to everyday verbs like 喊.
Examples
He is wailing inside the room.
Why are you wailing all of a sudden?
Related words
Common phrases
to wail loudly
Common mistake
Learners often try to use 嚎啕 as a standalone verb, but it is rarely used outside the fixed phrase 嚎啕大哭. Using it alone sounds unnatural and overly formal.
Grammar color guide
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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.
