laap6 sam1立心
Jyutpinglaap6 sam1
Yalelaahp sām
Definition
To resolve; to make up one's mind; to harbor an intention, often with a conscious effort.
colloquialdaily actionspeople
How it's used
Often carries a negative connotation, implying that someone has a deliberate, usually malicious or selfish, motive behind their actions. While it can be used neutrally to mean setting one's mind to a task, it is far more common to hear it when questioning someone's hidden agenda or bad intentions.
Examples
He intends to cheat me out of my money, please don't trust him.
Related words
Common phrases
to have malicious intentions
to intentionally cause trouble
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the Mandarin term for 'to establish a heart', as it is almost exclusively used in Cantonese to describe a calculated or deliberate intention, frequently with a sense of disapproval.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
