ting1 caai1聽差听差
Jyutpingting1 caai1
Yaletīng chāai
Definition
Attendant, servant, or footman.
datedpeoplework
How it's used
Refers to a historical role involving menial tasks or errands for a master or official. It carries a dated, colonial, or period drama feel and is rarely used to describe modern service staff. Using this term for a contemporary employee would sound archaic or even condescending.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
Wealthy families in the past used to hire attendants.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 聽日, which means tomorrow. The character 聽 here relates to listening or obeying orders, whereas in 聽日 it is a phonetic component.
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).
