mau5厶
Jyutpingmau5
Yalemáuh
Definition
Personal, private, or selfish.
colloquialemotionpeople
How it's used
The character 厶 is an archaic or rare way to represent the concept of private or selfish, and is almost never used as a standalone word in modern spoken Cantonese. Instead, speakers use 私心 to describe selfish behavior or personal bias. It carries a negative connotation, implying that someone is prioritizing their own interests over the collective good.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse the character 厶 with the radical or component found in words like 去 or 參, but it is not a functional word in daily speech. Always use the compound 私心 when expressing the idea of selfishness.
Grammar color guide
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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.
