maa5 bin6馬弁马弁
Jyutpingmaa5 bin6
Yalemáh bihn
Definition
An officer's bodyguard or orderly.
datedpeoplework
How it's used
Historically referring to a military orderly or personal attendant for an officer, this term is now largely archaic and carries a strong period drama flavor. It is rarely used in modern daily life to describe professional security personnel, who are instead called 保鏢. Using it today often implies a sense of old fashioned servitude or military hierarchy.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
Related words
Common phrases
officer's orderly
Common mistake
Do not use this for modern bodyguards or security guards, as it sounds like you are describing a character from a historical film or a colonial era novel.
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.
