zik6 baan1值班
Jyutpingzik6 baan1
Yalejihk bāan
Definition
To be on duty, especially as part of a rostered rotation of people.
colloquialwork
How it's used
Focuses specifically on the act of taking a shift within a rotating schedule, often implying that the responsibility is shared among a team. It is most commonly used in professional environments like hospitals, security, or customer service centers where 24 hour coverage is required. Unlike formal terms for working, it carries a strong sense of being the designated person responsible for a specific time block.
Examples
Are you staying behind to be on duty tonight?
He has to take turns being on duty quite often lately.
Related words
Common phrases
to take turns being on duty
to be on duty overnight
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.
