so1 hei2梳起
Jyutpingso1 hei2
Yalesō héi
Definition
Of women, to vow to remain unmarried.
colloquialpeopleother
How it's used
Originating from the historical practice of self-combing, this term refers to a woman performing a ritual to signal her lifelong commitment to celibacy. It carries a strong historical weight associated with independent women who sought to avoid the constraints of traditional marriage. While it is rarely used to describe modern lifestyle choices, it remains a culturally significant term for understanding historical gender roles in Southern China.
Examples
She decided to remain unmarried and wants to live a free life.
Back in the day, if a girl took the vow of celibacy, could she really not change her mind?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the literal act of combing one's hair, which is simply 梳頭. The term specifically implies a formal or semi-formal social declaration of remaining single for life.
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.
