seng1 hei3聲氣声气
Jyutpingseng1 hei3
Yalesēng hei
Definition
Strength of voice, or news and response.
- strength of voice; volume of speech
- news; response; word or sign of life
colloquialcommunicationpeople
How it's used
Beyond referring to the literal volume of a voice, this term is frequently used to describe the absence or presence of news or a response. When someone is described as 冇聲氣, it implies they have gone quiet, are unresponsive, or that a project has stalled without any updates. It carries a slightly more informal and idiomatic weight than simply saying 冇消息.
Examples
Related words
Common phrases
no news or response
to be very quiet or lacking energy
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the Mandarin term 聲氣, which can sometimes carry a negative connotation of being in cahoots with someone. In Cantonese, it is almost exclusively used to refer to the act of making a sound or providing an update.
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.
