tau4 dap1 dap1頭嗒嗒头嗒嗒
Jyutpingtau4 dap1 dap1
Yaletàuh dāp dāp
Definition
Dejected, depressed, and disheartened, with one's head drooping.
colloquialemotionbody
How it's used
This phrase vividly captures the physical posture of someone who is feeling defeated or ashamed, literally describing the head hanging low. It is primarily used to describe a person's visible reaction to bad news or a mistake rather than a clinical state of depression. The reduplication of the second character adds a sense of continuous, lingering sadness.
Examples
He did something wrong and has been looking dejected all day.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use this to describe physical fatigue or sleepiness, as it specifically implies an emotional state of dejection or guilt. It is an adjective phrase that functions as a predicate, so it is typically used with 咁 or 嘅 to describe someone's state.
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).
