teoi1 tong4推搪
Jyutpingteoi1 tong4
Yaletēui tòhng
Definition
To offer excuses in order to reject or evade doing something.
colloquialdaily actionscommunication
How it's used
Focuses on the act of dodging a responsibility or request by providing vague reasons or shifting blame. It carries a slightly negative connotation of being uncooperative or dishonest. Unlike simply saying no, this implies the person is actively trying to avoid the task while pretending to have a valid reason.
Examples
He always makes excuses and refuses to help.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 拒絕, but 拒絕 is a direct refusal, whereas 推搪 implies a roundabout or evasive way of avoiding the task.
Grammar color guide
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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).
