tau4 zi1投資投资
Jyutpingtau4 zi1
Yaletàuh jī
Definition
Investment; to invest money, time, or effort in order to gain a return.
neutralmoneywork
How it's used
While often used in financial contexts, this term is frequently applied metaphorically to non-monetary efforts, such as investing time or emotional energy into a relationship or a hobby. It carries a sense of strategic planning and expectation of future gain, rather than just casual spending. In casual speech, it is common to use the verb form directly with the aspect marker 咗 to describe past actions.
Measure word
bat1筆bātExamples
He recently invested a lot of money into the new project.
What do you think about this investment opportunity?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners sometimes confuse this with 儲蓄, which refers specifically to saving money rather than the active, risk-taking nature of investing. Remember that it implies an expectation of a return, so using it for simple expenses can sound unnatural.
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).
