paai4 gau2牌九
Jyutpingpaai4 gau2
Yalepàaih gáu
Definition
Pai Gow, a traditional Chinese gambling game played with dominoes or cards.
colloquialother
How it's used
Pai Gow is deeply rooted in traditional Chinese gambling culture and is often associated with high stakes. The term specifically refers to the game played with a set of thirty two dominoes, though the same name is applied to a variant played with cards. It is a game of strategy and probability that relies heavily on recognizing specific tile combinations rather than just luck.
Examples
They have been playing Pai Gow all night.
Related words
Common phrases
to play Pai Gow
Common mistake
Learners often confuse the game itself with the physical tiles, which are called 骨牌. While you can say 玩牌九, you should not refer to the tiles themselves as 牌九.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
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- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
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