zong1 san1裝身装身
Jyutpingzong1 san1
Yalejōng sān
Definition
To dress up nicely with nice clothes, makeup, and accessories before an important event.
colloquialclothingdaily actions
How it's used
Focuses on the entire process of grooming, including makeup, hair, and selecting accessories, rather than just putting on a single piece of clothing. It implies a sense of preparation for a specific social occasion, such as a wedding, a date, or a formal party. Using this word suggests that the person is making a conscious effort to look their best for others.
Examples
We are going to a banquet tonight, do you need to go home and dress up?
She takes forever to dress up every time we go out, it is so annoying.
Related words
Common phrases
take a long time to dress up
dress up before heading out
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with simply getting dressed in the morning, which is usually described as 着衫. 裝身 carries the specific connotation of intentional beautification for an event, whereas 着衫 is a neutral, daily necessity.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
