jaa6 sei3 siu2 si4廿四小時廿四小时

Jyutpingjaa6 sei3 siu2 si4

Yaleyah sei síu sìh

副詞Uncommon

Definition

Twenty-four seven; all the time; constantly.

colloquialtimedaily actions

How it's used

While literally referring to the duration of a full day, this term is frequently used hyperbolically to describe any situation that is constant or ongoing. It carries a sense of intensity or obsession when applied to human behavior, such as worrying or monitoring someone. It functions as an adverbial phrase, often placed before the verb or at the start of a clause to emphasize the lack of interruption.

Examples

keoi5佢dei6哋gaan1間bin6便lei6利dim3店hai6係jaa6廿sei3四siu2小si4時hoi1開㗎。

Their convenience store is open twenty-four seven.

nei5你sai2使m4唔sai2使jaa6廿sei3四siu2小si4時dou1都tai2睇zyu6住go3個din6電waa2話aa4呀？

Do you really need to stare at your phone all the time?

Common phrases

jaa6廿sei3四siu2小si4時jing4營jip6業

open twenty-four hours

jaa6廿sei3四siu2小si4時gaam1監hung3控

twenty-four seven surveillance

Common mistake

Avoid using this to describe a duration of exactly one day, as it is almost exclusively used to mean 'all the time' or 'non-stop'. For a literal twenty-four hour period, use 一日一夜 instead.