wan1 beng6瘟病
Jyutpingwan1 beng6
Yalewān behng
Definition
Plague or infectious seasonal febrile diseases.
colloquialhealth
How it's used
Refers specifically to contagious illnesses that spread seasonally or in outbreaks, often carrying a slightly ominous tone compared to a common cold. It is frequently used in older generations to describe waves of flu or viral infections that sweep through a community. While it can mean plague in a historical or literary sense, in modern daily speech it is often used hyperbolically for bad flu seasons.
Examples
The weather has changed recently, it is very easy to catch a seasonal illness.
Related words
Common phrases
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 瘟神, which refers to the deity of plagues or is used as a derogatory term for someone who brings bad luck or trouble to others.
Grammar color guide
Noun
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Adjective
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Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
