hung4 saam1紅三红三
Jyutpinghung4 saam1
Yalehùhng sāam
Definition
Threadfin bream, or a Hong Kong hundred-dollar note.
- golden threadfin bream
- slangHong Kong hundred-dollar banknote
colloquialfoodmoney
How it's used
Refers to the threadfin fish, a popular choice for steaming in Cantonese cuisine due to its delicate texture. It also functions as common slang for the hundred-dollar banknote, stemming from the reddish-pink hue of the older series of notes. Using it for money is informal and typically heard in casual settings like markets or restaurants.
Measure word
tiu4條tìuhExamples
Let's go to the market tonight to buy a threadfin to steam.
Do you still have any hundred-dollar notes on you?
Related words
Common phrases
steamed threadfin
Common mistake
Be aware that context is everything, as the word shifts between a culinary ingredient and currency. If you are at a fishmonger, it is clearly the fish, but in a transaction, it refers to the money.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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.
