hung4 kau1鴻溝鸿沟
Jyutpinghung4 kau1
Yalehùhng kāu
Definition
A wide gap, chasm, or gulf between people that alienates their relationship.
neutralemotionpeople
How it's used
Used primarily to describe abstract, intangible distances between people, such as ideological differences or emotional estrangement. It carries a sense of permanence and difficulty in reconciliation, making it much stronger than simple disagreement or conflict. It is rarely used for physical gaps, where words like 罅隙 or 距離 are preferred.
Measure word
dou6道douhExamples
There is a very deep chasm between that married couple.
How can we bridge the gap caused by this generation gap?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a physical gap in the ground, but it is almost exclusively reserved for metaphorical or psychological distance. Using it to describe a crack in a wall or a hole in the road will sound unnatural to native speakers.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
