sau1 seng1收聲收声
Jyutpingsau1 seng1
Yalesāu sēng
Definition
To stop speaking; to shut up or keep silent.
colloquialcommunicationdaily actions
How it's used
Carries a blunt and often impatient tone, making it unsuitable for polite requests or formal settings. It is frequently used when someone is being annoying or talking too much, functioning as a direct command to cease speaking immediately. Using it with strangers or superiors is considered very rude and confrontational.
Examples
Can you please be quiet?
He stops talking immediately whenever money is mentioned.
Common phrases
to tell someone to shut up
to stop talking immediately
Common mistake
Avoid using this to mean 'to be quiet' in a general sense, as it specifically targets the act of speaking. For a more neutral way to ask for silence, use 靜啲 or 唔好講嘢 instead.
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.
