soeng4徜
Jyutpingsoeng4
Yalesèuhng
Definition
To linger or wander; to sit cross-legged.
- to linger; to wander
- to sit cross-legged
colloquialdaily actionsbody
How it's used
This term is almost exclusively used to describe the specific posture of sitting with legs crossed on the floor or a flat surface. It carries a sense of being relaxed or idle, often implying that the person is staying in that position for a while. It is rarely used in formal writing and is mostly restricted to spoken Cantonese.
Examples
He really likes sitting cross-legged on the sofa to watch TV.
Related words
Common phrases
sitting cross-legged there
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 坐, which is the general verb for sitting. While 坐 is neutral and covers all types of sitting, 徜 specifically highlights the cross-legged posture and is not interchangeable with standard sitting positions like sitting on a chair.
Grammar color guide
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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).
