sing2 paa4醒扒
Jyutpingsing2 paa4
Yalesíng pàh
Definition
Smart, clever, alert, or quick-witted.
colloquialpeopledescriptions
How it's used
Describes someone who is quick-witted, alert, and able to adapt to situations without needing explicit instructions. It carries a positive connotation of being street-smart or savvy rather than just book-smart. People often use it to praise someone for being responsive or to urge someone to be more proactive.
Examples
He is very sharp; he can see through what you are thinking at a glance.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 醒目, which is a more common and neutral term for being smart or intelligent. 醒扒 specifically emphasizes being alert and responsive in a practical, social, or work 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).
