paang4 jan4棚人
Jyutpingpaang4 jan4
Yalepàahng yàhn
Definition
A group of people; a whole bunch of people.
colloquialpeople
How it's used
This term carries a slightly informal or dismissive tone, often implying that the group is large, noisy, or perhaps uninvited. It is frequently used to describe a crowd that is perceived as a collective entity rather than individuals. You will often hear it used when someone is surprised or annoyed by the sheer number of people accompanying someone else.
Examples
There is a whole bunch of people queuing up over there.
Are you taking a whole group of people to eat?
Related words
Common phrases
a whole bunch of people
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the literal meaning of scaffolding or a shed, which also uses the character 棚. When referring to people, it must always be used with a quantifier like 成 to emphasize the large size of the group.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
