zok3 gun1作官
Jyutpingzok3 gun1
Yalejok gūn
Definition
To serve as a government official.
colloquialworkpeople
How it's used
Refers specifically to the act of holding a government post or serving in an official capacity. It carries a slightly formal or old fashioned nuance compared to modern terms like 做公務員. It is rarely used in casual conversation to describe current employment, often appearing in historical contexts or when discussing career aspirations in a traditional sense.
Examples
He used to serve as a government official.
Related words
Common phrases
to serve as an official and get rich
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe general office work or corporate roles. It is strictly reserved for government service and can sound overly dramatic or archaic if applied to modern private sector jobs.
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.
