saa1 zin2沙展
Jyutpingsaa1 zin2
Yalesā jín
Definition
Sergeant; a police rank above police constable and below station sergeant.
colloquialpeoplework
How it's used
Originating from the colonial era, this term is a direct phonetic loan from English. While it remains widely understood and used in casual speech to refer to police sergeants, it is not used in formal official documents, where the standard term 警長 is preferred.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
That sergeant is very fierce, you better be careful.
Related words
Common phrases
duty sergeant
Common mistake
Avoid using this term in formal police reports or official correspondence, as it is strictly a colloquialism for spoken communication.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
