laan4 sing2讕醒谰醒
Jyutpinglaan4 sing2
Yalelàahn síng
Definition
To pretend to be smart; to act like a know-it-all.
colloquialpeopledescriptions
How it's used
Carries a strong negative connotation, implying that the person is pretending to be knowledgeable or clever to impress others or gain an advantage. It is often used to criticize someone who is being pretentious or showing off when they are actually ignorant or wrong. The term specifically targets the performative aspect of intelligence rather than actual competence.
Examples
Stop acting smart here, you actually have no idea what happened.
He always likes to act smart in front of the boss, which makes his colleagues very annoyed.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 醒目, which is a positive term meaning sharp or quick-witted. While 醒目 describes someone who is genuinely clever and observant, 讕醒 describes a fake or annoying display of intelligence.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
