zoeng1 mong6張望张望
Jyutpingzoeng1 mong6
Yalejēung mohng
Definition
To look around in all directions, or to gaze into the distance.
colloquialdaily actions
How it's used
Focuses on the physical act of craning one's neck or scanning an area to find someone or something. It often implies a sense of caution, curiosity, or uncertainty about one's surroundings. While it can be used in formal writing, it remains perfectly natural in spoken Cantonese when describing someone who is searching for a friend in a crowd or checking if they are being followed.
Examples
He poked his head out at the door to look around.
Why are you looking around everywhere?
Related words
Common phrases
to look in all directions
to poke one's head out and look around
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 望, which is a general verb for looking. 張望 specifically implies looking around or in multiple directions, rather than just staring at a single object.
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.
