sai6 heoi3逝去
Jyutpingsai6 heoi3
Yalesaih heui
Definition
Passed away, elapsed, or vanished.
writtentimeemotion
How it's used
Carries a poetic and melancholic tone, often used in lyrics or literature to describe time, youth, or memories that are gone forever. It is significantly more formal than using 走咗 or 冇咗, which are the standard ways to describe something being missing or gone in daily speech. Avoid using it for physical objects like a lost wallet or a missing key, as it is reserved for abstract concepts.
Examples
The youth that has passed will not return.
Are you still missing that relationship that has passed?
Related words
Common phrases
the days that have passed
the time that has passed
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use it for people who have died, but it is not a direct synonym for passing away; use 過身 or 走咗 instead for that context.
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).
