lei4 tai4離題离题
Jyutpinglei4 tai4
Yalelèih tàih
Definition
To digress from the subject or be off-topic.
colloquialcommunication
How it's used
Often used in academic or formal discussion contexts to point out that someone has wandered away from the original prompt. It carries a slightly critical tone, suggesting that the speaker or writer has failed to maintain focus. It is frequently paired with the particle 咗 to indicate that the digression has already occurred.
Examples
You are digressing a lot, let's get back to the main point.
Related words
Common phrases
to digress more and more while speaking
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 唔關事, which simply means something is irrelevant or unrelated. 離題 specifically implies that a conversation or argument started on-topic but has since drifted away.
Grammar color guide
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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).
