ngou6 maan6傲慢
Jyutpingngou6 maan6
Yalengouh maahn
Definition
Arrogant, haughty, or self-important, while looking down on others.
neutralpeopledescriptions
How it's used
Describes a specific type of social distance where someone acts as if they are superior to others. While it shares a similar meaning to 驕傲, 傲慢 carries a stronger negative connotation of looking down on people or being dismissive. It is often used to describe someone's attitude or tone of voice rather than just their internal sense of pride.
Examples
He speaks arrogantly, so nobody likes to hang out with him.
Don't be so arrogant; you'll be more popular if you're humble.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 驕傲, which can sometimes be used in a neutral or even positive sense like being proud of one's achievements. 傲慢 is almost exclusively negative and implies a lack of respect for others.
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.
