mou4 paai4無牌无牌
Jyutpingmou4 paai4
Yalemòuh pàaih
Definition
Unlicensed; not possessing a valid license or permit.
colloquialworkother
How it's used
Focuses specifically on the absence of a required legal permit or authorization. It is frequently used in news reports and daily complaints to describe illegal street vendors or businesses that bypass safety regulations. The term carries a strong negative connotation of being illicit or potentially dangerous.
Examples
It turns out that restaurant is operating without a license.
Do you know where one can buy an unlicensed vehicle?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 冇牌, which is a literal phrase meaning 'to have no license'. While they share the same meaning, 無牌 is often used as a prefix to describe the noun directly, such as 無牌小販, whereas 冇牌 is more commonly used in a predicate position.
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.
