tong4堂
Jyutpingtong4
Yaletòhng
Definition
Female; pertaining to women.
datedpeople
How it's used
This term is a traditional, slightly formal or literary way to refer to female guests or women in a household setting. It is rarely used in modern daily speech and can sound old fashioned or even slightly condescending depending on the context. You will mostly encounter it in older literature or specific regional dialects rather than in contemporary Hong Kong slang.
Examples
Related words
Common phrases
lady guest
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the common character 堂 used in school settings or for halls, as the meaning of female is highly specific to certain compound words like 堂客.
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.
