taan3歎叹
Jyutpingtaan3
Yaletaan
Definition
To admire, praise, or sincerely appreciate something as being excellent.
neutralemotiondescriptions
How it's used
Focus on the internal feeling of awe or deep appreciation rather than just verbal praise. It is almost exclusively used in compound words like 讚歎 or 驚歎 to describe a reaction to something impressive or beautiful. You will rarely hear it used as a standalone verb in modern spoken Cantonese.
Examples
His salary is so high, it really makes people admire him.
When you see this view, do you feel a sense of admiration?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the colloquial 歎, which means to enjoy life or relax. The character 歎 is a common variant for both meanings, but the sense of praise is strictly tied to formal compounds.
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.
