zong1贓赃
Jyutpingzong1
Yalejōng
Definition
Ill-gotten; acquired through illegal or illicit means.
writtenmoneyother
How it's used
This character is almost exclusively used in formal or legal contexts to describe items or money obtained through criminal activity. You will rarely hear it in casual conversation unless discussing news reports or crime stories. It functions primarily as a prefix to nouns rather than as a standalone adjective describing a person.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 污糟, which means dirty or messy. While 贓 implies something is morally tainted or illegal, 污糟 refers to physical filth or lack of hygiene.
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.
