song1 lai5喪禮丧礼
Jyutpingsong1 lai5
Yalesōng láih
Definition
Funeral; a social ritual marking a person's death.
neutralpeopleother
How it's used
Refers specifically to the formal social ceremony rather than the act of dying itself. It carries a solemn and heavy tone, so it is rarely used in casual conversation unless discussing logistics or attendance. When speaking about the event, people often use the more colloquial term 白事 to refer to the entire period of mourning and funeral arrangements.
Measure word
coeng4場chèunghExamples
His family is holding a funeral, don't go and disturb him.
Do you need to attend the funeral tomorrow?
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this word to describe the death itself, as it strictly refers to the ceremony. For the actual passing of a person, use terms like 過身 or 走咗 instead.
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.
