zou6 si6做事
Jyutpingzou6 si6
Yalejouh sih
Definition
To work, act, or handle matters.
colloquialworkdaily actions
How it's used
While 做事 is the standard way to say to work or to handle tasks, in daily spoken Cantonese, people almost exclusively use 做嘢. Using 做事 can sound slightly more formal or serious, often implying a focus on the process or the quality of one's actions rather than just the act of working. It is common to hear it in contexts involving professional conduct or personal character.
Related words
Common phrases
to be conscientious in one's work
Common mistake
Learners often confuse the written term 做事 with the ubiquitous spoken term 做嘢. Using 做事 in casual conversation is not grammatically wrong, but it can make you sound like you are reading from a textbook or giving a formal speech.
Grammar color guide
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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.
