taan3 sik1歎息叹息
Jyutpingtaan3 sik1
Yaletaan sīk
Definition
To sigh or heave a sigh.
neutraldaily actionsemotion
How it's used
While 歎息 is understood in Cantonese, it is more commonly used in written contexts or formal speech. In everyday spoken Cantonese, people almost exclusively use 嘆氣 to describe the act of sighing. Using 歎息 in casual conversation can sound slightly dramatic or literary.
Examples
After reading the report, he couldn't help but sigh.
Why are you sighing all of a sudden?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse 歎息 with 嘆氣, but 嘆氣 is the standard colloquial term for a sigh. Using 歎息 in a very casual setting might make you sound like you are reading from a novel.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
