zi1 jan1 gam2 daai3知恩感戴
Jyutpingzi1 jan1 gam2 daai3
Yalejī yān gám daai
Definition
To be deeply grateful and appreciative.
writtenemotionpeople
How it's used
This is a formal, literary idiom that sounds quite heavy and dramatic in everyday speech. It is rarely used in casual conversation and is more likely to appear in written texts, formal speeches, or when someone is being deliberately hyperbolic or sarcastic. Using it in a normal chat about a small favor will sound unnatural or overly intense.
Examples
He treats you so well, you really should be deeply grateful.
How can we not be deeply grateful to this benefactor?
Related words
Common phrases
a heart of deep gratitude
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a standard way to say thank you. Because it carries a weight of moral obligation and deep indebtedness, it is inappropriate for routine expressions of gratitude like 多謝 or 唔該.
Grammar color guide
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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.
