mok6 gong2莫講莫讲
Jyutpingmok6 gong2
Yalemohk góng
Definition
Not to mention; let alone; not even.
colloquialcommunicationdescriptions
How it's used
Use this to highlight an extreme case that makes a previous point seem trivial or impossible. It functions as a rhetorical device to emphasize that if the easier or more basic condition is not met, the more difficult one is completely out of the question. It is often paired with 仲要 or 連 to strengthen the contrast between the two clauses.
Examples
Not to mention going on a trip, I don't even have time to go out.
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 唔好講, which is a literal command to stop talking about something. 莫講 is strictly a logical connector used for comparison and emphasis, not a request for silence.
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.
