hung4 dang1紅燈红灯
Jyutpinghung4 dang1
Yalehùhng dāng
Definition
Red traffic light; a red light indicating that vehicles or pedestrians must stop.
colloquialtransport
How it's used
Drivers and pedestrians use this term to signal an immediate halt to movement. It is almost always paired with the measure word 盞 when referring to the physical light fixture itself. The phrase is often used metaphorically in daily life to describe a situation where progress is blocked or permission is denied.
Measure word
zaan2盞jánExamples
There is a red light ahead, stop quickly.
Are you really crossing the road when the light is red?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse the verb for stopping at a light. Use 停低 or 停住 instead of just 停 to sound more natural when telling someone to halt their movement.
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.
