jam4 si1 zok3 deoi3吟詩作對吟诗作对
Jyutpingjam4 si1 zok3 deoi3
Yaleyàhm sī jok deui
Definition
To compose poetry and couplets.
colloquialother
How it's used
This idiom describes a traditional intellectual pastime that is now often used sarcastically to mock someone for being overly pretentious or out of touch with modern life. While it literally refers to literary creation, it carries a strong connotation of being stuck in the past or trying too hard to appear cultured. It is rarely used to describe actual contemporary creative writing.
Examples
They are always composing poems and couplets in the park, acting all refined.
Do you think it's still ancient times, still composing poems and couplets?
Related words
Common phrases
someone who composes poems and couplets
Common mistake
Do not use this to describe someone simply writing a poem or a song, as the phrase specifically implies the traditional, formal, and somewhat archaic practice of matching couplets and classical verse.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
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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).
