mei6 cang4未曾
Jyutpingmei6 cang4
Yalemeih chàhng
Definition
To have not yet; to have never experienced.
writtendaily actionsdescriptions
How it's used
Carries a formal or literary weight that makes it sound more serious or emphatic than the standard colloquial 未. It is frequently used in narratives or when reflecting on life experiences to highlight a lack of precedent. While grammatically interchangeable with 未 in many contexts, it is rarely used in casual, rapid-fire daily conversation.
Examples
I have never been there, so I do not know how to get there.
Related words
Common phrases
have never seen before
has not yet happened
Common mistake
Learners often overuse it in simple, everyday situations where a plain 未 or 未試過 would sound much more natural. It is not a direct replacement for 未 in every context, as it specifically emphasizes the lack of past experience rather than just a current state of incompletion.
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.
