si6 tou4仕途
Jyutpingsi6 tou4
Yalesih tòuh
Definition
An official's career path or prospects in government.
writtenwork
How it's used
Refers specifically to the career progression of someone in government or a formal bureaucratic position. While it can be used metaphorically for corporate jobs, it retains a slightly formal or old-fashioned tone that implies a structured hierarchy. It is rarely used in casual, everyday conversation about common jobs.
Examples
His career path is very smooth, he got promoted quickly.
Do you think his career prospects will be affected?
Related words
Common phrases
a smooth career path
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with general career terms like 前途 or 事業, as it carries a specific nuance of climbing a political or official ladder. Using it to describe a typical retail or service job sounds overly dramatic or ironic.
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).
