lou4廬庐
Jyutpinglou4
Yalelòuh
Definition
A hut, cottage, shack, or simple and temporary dwelling, often thatched with straw.
writtenplaces
How it's used
Literary in nature, this term is rarely used in modern daily speech to describe actual houses. It is almost exclusively encountered in the idiom 三顧茅廬, which refers to the historical story of Liu Bei visiting Zhuge Liang three times to seek his counsel. Using it outside of this specific cultural reference or poetic descriptions can sound overly dramatic or archaic.
Measure word
gaan1間gānExamples
He is living in seclusion inside that straw hut deep in the mountains.
Related words
Common phrases
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a common word for house, but using it to describe a normal apartment or home will sound very strange or confusing to native speakers.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
