to1 coeng4拖長拖长
Jyutpingto1 coeng4
Yaletō chèuhng
Definition
To prolong or drag out a process so that it takes longer to complete.
colloquialworktime
How it's used
Focuses on the intentional or unnecessary stretching of a duration, often implying inefficiency or avoidance. It is frequently used in professional or administrative contexts when a task or deadline is deliberately delayed. Unlike simply being slow, this term carries a sense of active effort to keep a process going longer than necessary.
Examples
Please don't prolong the meeting anymore, everyone is very tired.
He always drags out the project timeline, which makes the boss very unhappy.
Related words
Common phrases
to drag out the project schedule
to prolong the time
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe physical objects being stretched, as that would require the word 拉長 instead. Using 拖長 for physical length sounds unnatural to native speakers.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
