ngaa4 mun4衙門衙门

Jyutpingngaa4 mun4

Yalengàh mùhn

Definition

Yamen; a government office or administrative building in imperial China.

neutralplaces

How it's used

Refers specifically to the administrative offices of the imperial era, carrying a heavy connotation of bureaucracy and intimidation. When used in modern daily speech, it is often employed metaphorically to describe a place where one faces cold, rigid, or slow service, or where one feels powerless against authority.

Measure word

go3個go

Examples

ji5以cin4前di1啲jan4人hou2好geng1驚heoi3去ngaa4衙mun2門㗎。

People in the past were very afraid of going to the government office.

nei5你ji5以wai4為nei1呢dou6度hai6係ngaa4衙mun2門me1咩？

Do you think this place is a government office?

Common phrases

ngaa4衙mun2門hau2口

the entrance of a government office

tit3鐵daa2打ngaa4衙mun2門lau4流seoi2水gun1官

the government office remains while officials come and go

Common mistake

Avoid using this to describe modern government departments like the Immigration Department or the Post Office, as it sounds archaic and implies a feudal, oppressive atmosphere.