paa4 hang4爬行
Jyutpingpaa4 hang4
Yalepàh hàhng
Definition
To creep or crawl; to move with the body close to the ground.
neutraldaily actionsanimals
How it's used
While 爬行 is the standard term for crawling or creeping, it sounds slightly formal or scientific in daily life. When talking about babies or small children moving on all fours, Cantonese speakers almost exclusively use the verb 爬 instead. Using 爬行 for a baby can sound like you are describing a biological process or a clinical observation.
Examples
The baby is crawling on the floor.
Have you ever seen how insects crawl?
Related words
Common phrases
reptile
Common mistake
Do not use 爬行 to describe climbing a mountain or stairs, as 爬 is sufficient for those actions. Using 爬行 in those contexts sounds like you are literally crawling on your hands and knees up the mountain.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
