pei4 hei3脾氣脾气
Jyutpingpei4 hei3
Yalepèih hei
Definition
Temperament, disposition, or an angry temper and emotional outburst.
- temperament; disposition; character
- bad temper; anger; emotional outburst
colloquialemotionpeople
How it's used
脾氣 is almost exclusively used in the context of a bad temper or an explosive personality. When someone has a good disposition, you would rarely describe them as having a good 脾氣, preferring instead to say they have a good 性格 or are 好人. It is frequently paired with verbs like 發 to describe the act of losing control.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
He has a very bad temper and is always getting angry.
Why are you losing your temper for no reason?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse 脾氣 with 性格, but 脾氣 specifically refers to one's tendency to get angry or irritable. Using it to describe a general personality type is unnatural.
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.
