saam1蔘
Jyutpingsaam1
Yalesāam
Definition
Drooping; hanging down.
colloquialdescriptionsnature
How it's used
Describes a physical state of hanging downwards due to fatigue, gravity, or lack of vitality. It is frequently applied to eyelids when someone is struggling to stay awake or to wilting plants that have not been watered. The tone is descriptive and often implies a lack of energy or firmness.
Examples
Their eyelids are drooping, they look like they are very sleepy.
Related words
Common phrases
drooping eyelids
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the character for ginseng, which is also written as 蔘 in some contexts but carries a completely different meaning and pronunciation in many dialects. In Cantonese, ensure the context clearly relates to physical posture or drooping to avoid confusion with the medicinal root.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
