jam1 gung1陰功阴功
Jyutpingjam1 gung1
Yaleyām gūng
Definition
Pitiful, miserable, or tragic.
colloquialemotionpeople
How it's used
Expresses sympathy or pity for someone's unfortunate situation, often carrying a sense of emotional weight. It is frequently used as an exclamation to react to bad news or a sad sight. While it can describe a situation, it is most commonly used as a standalone comment to show empathy.
Examples
He is so sick, it is truly pitiful.
He lost his father at such a young age, isn't that tragic?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the Mandarin word 陰功 which can mean evil deeds or negative karma. In Cantonese, it is strictly used to express pity or sorrow for someone else's plight.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
