ji3 soeng2意想
Jyutpingji3 soeng2
Yaleyi séung
Definition
To imagine, expect, or anticipate.
colloquialdescriptions
How it's used
Often used in the negative form 意想唔到 to express surprise or disbelief about an unexpected outcome. It carries a slightly more formal or literary weight compared to the more common spoken term 諗到. When used in questions, it frequently invites the listener to speculate or consider a hypothetical situation.
Examples
Can you imagine what the result will be?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 想像, which is the standard word for imagination. 意想 is more restricted to the sense of anticipating or expecting a result rather than the act of creative visualization.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
