taam1 wu1貪污贪污
Jyutpingtaam1 wu1
Yaletāam wū
Definition
Corruption or bribery; using one's position or power to obtain illegal personal gains.
neutralworkmoney
How it's used
Refers specifically to the act of using one's official position for personal gain, often involving bribery or embezzlement. It carries a strong negative connotation and is frequently associated with legal consequences and investigations by bodies like the Independent Commission Against Corruption. While it can function as a verb, it is most commonly used as a noun to describe the phenomenon itself.
Examples
He was arrested for corruption.
Do you know which department has corruption?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners sometimes confuse it with general theft or stealing, but it specifically requires the abuse of power or authority. It is not used for simple shoplifting or personal robbery.
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).
