to4沱
Jyutpingto4
Yaletòh
Definition
Tearful, or referring to a waterway or tributary.
- tearful; shedding tears copiously
- waterway; a branch of a river
writtenbodydescriptions
How it's used
The character 沱 is almost exclusively encountered in the reduplicated form 汪汪 to describe the appearance of tears welling up in eyes. It functions as a descriptive adjective rather than a verb for crying. You will rarely see it used in isolation in modern spoken Cantonese.
Related words
Common phrases
tearful eyes
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the verb 喊 which means to cry. Using 沱 on its own as a verb is incorrect and will not be understood by 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.
