zaa3 zaa3 dai3 dai3詐詐諦諦诈诈谛谛
Jyutpingzaa3 zaa3 dai3 dai3
Yaleja ja dai dai
Definition
To pretend or fake; to put on an act.
colloquialpeopledescriptions
How it's used
This reduplicated form emphasizes the act of feigning ignorance or playing dumb. It carries a slightly more playful or critical tone than the base form 詐諦, often used when someone is clearly putting on an act to avoid responsibility or to hide their true intentions. It is frequently used in casual conversation to call out someone's insincere behavior.
Examples
He is pretending, but he actually knew what happened all along.
Stop pretending now, just tell the truth.
Related words
Common phrases
in a pretending manner
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with general lying, but it specifically refers to the act of feigning ignorance or acting innocent. It is not used for outright fabrications or telling lies about facts.
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.
