taai3 bou2太保
Jyutpingtaai3 bou2
Yaletaai bóu
Definition
A very high official rank in ancient China, one of the Three Ducal Ministers.
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How it's used
Historically, this title refers to one of the Three Ducal Ministers, a position of immense prestige and influence in the imperial court. In modern Cantonese, the term is rarely used in its original sense outside of historical dramas or literature, as it has largely been superseded by other terms for high-ranking officials.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
He was a Grand Preceptor in the past and had a lot of power.
Is this Grand Preceptor helping the emperor handle government affairs?
Related words
Common mistake
Be careful not to confuse this with the slang term 太保 used in some regions to refer to a delinquent or a young thug, which carries a completely different and negative connotation.
Grammar color guide
Noun
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Adjective
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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).
