zaang1 kei4 dau3 jim6爭奇鬥艷争奇斗艳
Jyutpingzaang1 kei4 dau3 jim6
Yalejāang kèih dau yihm
Definition
To compete with each other in terms of beauty and glamour.
colloquialdescriptions
How it's used
Often used to describe flowers in a garden or people dressing up for a special occasion. It carries a slightly literary tone despite being used in daily speech to add a touch of flair to a description. It implies a sense of active, visual competition where everyone involved is trying to be the most eye catching.
Examples
The flowers in the garden are competing in beauty, they are so pretty.
They went to the party, and everyone was trying to outshine each other.
Related words
Common phrases
a hundred flowers competing in beauty
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.
