paa4 lung4 syun4扒龍船扒龙船
Definition
Dragon boating; a water sport of racing dragon boats, originating from a Dragon Boat Festival custom.
How it's used
Refers specifically to the act of paddling a dragon boat, which is distinct from simply watching the races. While it is a traditional activity associated with the Dragon Boat Festival, it has evolved into a popular competitive sport and a common team building exercise in Hong Kong. The term is used as a verb phrase, so you can easily add aspect markers like 咗 or 緊 to describe the experience.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with just sitting in a boat; it implies the specific rhythmic, coordinated paddling motion required for a dragon boat. Beginners often mistakenly use the general word 划船, but 扒龍船 is the culturally correct term for this specific vessel and sport.
Grammar color guide
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.
