loeng6 coeng3踉蹌踉跄
Jyutpingloeng6 coeng3
Yaleleuhng cheung
Definition
Stumbling, tottering, or walking unsteadily.
neutralbodydescriptions
How it's used
This word is primarily used to describe a physical lack of balance while walking, often due to intoxication, fatigue, or injury. While it can be used as a formal verb or adjective, speakers frequently repeat the characters as 踉踉蹌蹌 to emphasize the repetitive, unsteady nature of the movement.
Examples
He is drunk and walking in a stumbling manner.
The elderly person is stumbling while walking, you should hold onto them.
Related words
Common phrases
stumbling and staggering
unsteady footsteps
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with general verbs for falling like 跌倒. Remember that this specifically describes the unsteady, swaying motion before or during a fall, rather than the act of falling itself.
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.
