naan4 teng1難聽难听
Jyutpingnaan4 teng1
Yalenàahn tēng
Definition
Unpleasant to hear, or offensive and hurtful to listen to.
- harsh, unpleasant, or awful to hear; out of tune
- (of speech) offensive, disrespectful, or hurtful
colloquialdescriptionscommunication
How it's used
Beyond describing bad singing or off-key music, this term is frequently used to describe speech that is overly critical, rude, or offensive. It implies that the content or the tone of what someone says is so disagreeable that it causes physical or emotional discomfort to the listener. It is a common way to tell someone to watch their language when they are being unnecessarily mean.
Examples
His singing is really awful, it's basically noise.
Do you really have to be so harsh and unpleasant with your words?
Related words
Common phrases
to speak in an offensive or harsh manner
to sing very badly
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe a person's voice quality in a neutral way, as it carries a strong negative judgment. If you simply mean someone has a rough or deep voice, use other descriptors like 聲沙 or 低沉 instead.
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.
