naan4 dou2難倒难倒
Jyutpingnaan4 dou2
Yalenàahn dóu
Definition
To baffle, daunt, or confound someone; to make it difficult to understand or explain.
colloquialdaily actionspeople
How it's used
Focuses on the inability to solve a problem or provide an answer, often implying that the subject is stuck or stumped. It is frequently used in the passive voice or with the particle 俾 to indicate being defeated by a specific task or challenge. It carries a sense of intellectual or situational frustration rather than just simple confusion.
Examples
This question is so deep, will it baffle you?
His bizarre requests really confounded the whole group of colleagues.
Related words
Common phrases
to be baffled by someone
to baffle everyone completely
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 難為, which carries a stronger sense of putting someone in an awkward or difficult situation, whereas 難倒 is strictly about being unable to handle or solve a specific problem.
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.
