zap1 faan1 tiu4 ming6執番條命执番条命
Jyutpingzap1 faan1 tiu4 ming6
Yalejāp fāan tìuh mihng
Definition
To narrowly escape death; to survive a close call or life-threatening situation.
colloquialhealthpeople
How it's used
Literally meaning to pick up one's life again, this phrase is used exclusively for situations where someone narrowly avoids death or a catastrophic outcome. It carries a sense of relief and is often used to emphasize how lucky someone was to survive a dangerous accident or illness. The structure is flexible, allowing for the insertion of negation or aspect markers like 執唔番條命 or 執番條命喇.
Examples
I really had a narrow escape this time, luckily I am fine.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use this to describe minor inconveniences or small mistakes, as it specifically refers to life-threatening situations. It is not a general way to say you were lucky.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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.
