tau3 daam6 hei3透啖氣透啖气
Jyutpingtau3 daam6 hei3
Yaletau daahm hei
Definition
To take a breather; to take a short break from something.
colloquialdaily actionshealth
How it's used
Focuses on the physical act of catching one's breath or stepping away from a stressful task for a moment. It implies a brief pause rather than a long vacation or a permanent stop. The structure is idiomatic and relies on the measure word 啖 to quantify the breath being taken.
Examples
We've been working all morning, let's take a breather first.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 抖氣, which is the general verb for breathing or resting. 透啖氣 specifically emphasizes the act of taking a single, refreshing break or a moment of relief.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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.
