kui2儈侩
Jyutpingkui2
Yalekúi
Definition
Broker or middleman; an opportunist.
colloquialpeoplework
How it's used
The term is almost exclusively used in the compound form 牙儈 to refer to a middleman or broker. While it can imply someone who facilitates a deal, it often carries a slightly negative connotation of someone who is opportunistic or overly involved in others' business for profit. You will rarely hear the single character 儈 used on its own in modern spoken Cantonese.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
He is always acting as a middleman, just like a broker.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 劊, which appears in 劊子手 for an executioner. The two characters look similar but have completely different meanings and pronunciations.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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Classifier
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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).
