tung4 dong2童黨童党
Jyutpingtung4 dong2
Yaletùhng dóng
Definition
Youth gang; a group of teenagers or children who gather to engage in antisocial behavior.
colloquialpeople
How it's used
This term carries a strong negative connotation, specifically implying delinquent or antisocial behavior rather than just a group of friends hanging out. It is frequently used in news reports or social commentary to describe groups of teenagers who loiter in public spaces and engage in vandalism, fighting, or harassment. While it literally translates to child gang, it is almost exclusively applied to adolescents rather than young children.
Measure word
baan1班bānExamples
That gang of kids is always making a huge racket in the park.
You had better walk away if you see a gang of kids, don't provoke them.
Related words
Common phrases
the problem of child gangs
to crack down on child gangs
Common mistake
Do not use this to describe a group of children playing innocently, as it implies criminal or disruptive intent. Calling a group of kids playing tag a 童黨 would sound very strange and overly accusatory.
Grammar color guide
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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.
