min5湎
Jyutpingmin5
Yalemíhn
Definition
To drink excessively or be drunk; to indulge or be addicted.
- drunk; to drink excessively
- to indulge in; to be addicted to
colloquialdaily actionsother
How it's used
Using 湎 to describe being drunk is highly specific to certain regional dialects and is not the standard way to say drunk in everyday Hong Kong Cantonese. Most locals prefer using 醉 or 飲大咗 to express this state. It carries a slightly more literary or descriptive nuance than the common colloquial terms.
Examples
He is drunk like a cat, he must be completely wasted.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners should be aware that 湎 is rarely used in casual speech and might sound confusing or overly formal to native speakers. It is much safer and more natural to use 醉 in almost all contexts.
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.
