maan4 waang4蠻橫蛮横
Jyutpingmaan4 waang4
Yalemàahn wàahng
Definition
Unreasonable, overbearing, and insensitive, acting solely on one's own desires.
colloquialpeopledescriptions
How it's used
Describes someone who acts with a total disregard for others' opinions or social norms, often implying a stubborn refusal to engage in rational discussion. It carries a stronger, more aggressive nuance than simply being stubborn, as it suggests an active imposition of one's will upon others. You will frequently hear it used to describe authority figures or people who abuse their power to get their way.
Examples
He is very overbearing and never listens to anyone.
Related words
Common phrases
rude and unreasonable
overbearing attitude
Common mistake
Learners sometimes confuse this with 霸道, which specifically implies a desire to dominate or control others, whereas 蠻橫 focuses more on the unreasonable and rude manner of the behavior itself.
Grammar color guide
Noun
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Adjective
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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.
