"(originally Cantonese)" Chinese-English Dictionary

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Chinese Pinyin Translation Actions
劲爆 勁爆 jìng bào (coll.) awesome / stunning / electrifying / breathtaking / (originally Cantonese) / also pr. [jin4 bao4]
Chinese Pinyin Translation Actions
this (Cantonese) / see also 哩[li1] syn
xiān beforehand / first / earlier / at first / originally / for the time being / for now / (prefix) my late (in referring to deceased relatives older than oneself) syn
běn (bound form) root / stem / (bound form) origin / source / (bound form) one's own / this / (bound form) this / the current (year etc) / (bound form) original / (bound form) inherent / originally / initially / capital / principal / classifier for books, periodicals, files etc syn
本来 本來 běn lái original / originally / at first / it goes without saying / of course syn
原来 原來 yuán lái original / former / originally / formerly / at first / so, actually, as it turns out syn
(bound form) base / foundation / (bound form) radical (chemistry) / (bound form) gay (loanword from English into Cantonese, Jyutping: gei1, followed by orthographic borrowing from Cantonese) syn
当初 當初 dāng chū at that time / originally syn
原本 yuán běn originally / original syn
最初 zuì chū first / primary / initial / original / at first / initially / originally syn
点心 點心 diǎn xin light refreshments / pastry / dim sum (in Cantonese cooking) / dessert syn
起初 qǐ chū originally / at first / at the outset syn
原先 yuán xiān originally / original / former syn
绿卡 綠卡 lǜ kǎ permanent residency permit (originally referred specifically to the US green card)
夏娃 xià wá Eve, the first woman (transcription used in Protestant versions of the Bible) (from Hebrew Ḥawwāh, probably via Cantonese 夏娃 {Haa6waa1})
母鸡 母雞 mǔ jī hen / don't know (humorous slang mimicking Cantonese 唔知, Jyutping: m4 zi1) syn
原定 yuán dìng originally planned / originally determined
按揭 àn jiē a mortgage (loanword via Cantonese) / to buy property on a mortgage
沙门 沙門 shā mén monk (Sanskrit: Sramana, originally refers to north India) / Buddhist monk syn
鸿沟 鴻溝 hóng gōu (fig.) gulf / chasm / wide gap / (originally) the Hong Canal in Henan, which in ancient times formed the border between enemies Chu 楚[Chu3] and Han 漢|汉[Han4] syn
街市 jiē shì downtown area / commercial district / (chiefly Cantonese) wet market, i.e. a marketplace selling fresh meat, fish and vegetables etc
粤语 粵語 yuè yǔ Cantonese language
饮茶 飲茶 yǐn chá to have tea and refreshments / to have dim sum lunch (Cantonese) syn
麦德龙 麥德龍 mài dé lóng Metro supermarket chain (originally German)
粤菜 粵菜 yuè cài Cantonese cuisine
无厘头 無厘頭 wú lí tóu silly talk or "mo lei tau" (Cantonese), genre of humor emerging from Hong Kong late in the 20th century
巴蜀 bā shǔ Sichuan / originally two provinces of Qin and Han
埋单 埋單 mái dān to pay the bill (in a restaurant etc) (loanword from Cantonese) / (fig.) to bear responsibility
广东人 廣東人 guǎng dōng rén Cantonese (people)
广东话 廣東話 guǎng dōng huà Cantonese language
宣纸 宣紙 xuān zhǐ fine writing paper, originally from Jing county 涇縣|泾县, Xuancheng 宣城, Anhui syn
光棍节 光棍節 guāng gùn jié Singles' Day (November 11), originally a day of activities for single people, but now also the world's biggest annual retail sales day
粤剧 粵劇 yuè jù Cantonese opera syn
绿营 綠營 lǜ yíng Green Standard Army, standing infantry during Qing dynasty, originally formed from Ming and other Chinese army units
烧腊 燒臘 shāo là barbecue (Cantonese style)
吉列 jí liè breaded and fried cutlet (loanword via Cantonese)
牛腩 niú nǎn brisket (esp. Cantonese) / belly beef / spongy meat from cow's underside and neighboring ribs / erroneously translated as sirloin
韬略 韜略 tāo lüè military strategy / military tactics / originally refers to military classics Six Secret Teachings 六韜|六韬[Liu4 tao1] and Three Strategies 三略[San1 lu:e4] syn
萧红 蕭紅 xiāo hóng Xiao Hong (1911-1942), prominent woman writer, originally from Heilongjiang
知识就是力量 知識就是力量 zhī shi jiù shì lì liang Knowledge is power, slogan originally due to Francis Bacon 弗蘭西斯·培根|弗兰西斯·培根
叫鸡 叫雞 jiào jī rooster / cock / (slang) (Cantonese) to visit a prostitute
大黄鱼 大黃魚 dà huáng yú Croceine croaker (Pseudosciaena crocea), a fish popular in Cantonese cooking syn
oh (expression of agreement or surprise) / (Cantonese) not syn
lǎo male / man (Cantonese) syn
this (Cantonese) / see also 呢[ni1] / see also 哩哩羅羅|哩哩罗罗[li1 li1 luo1 luo1] syn
曲奇 qǔ qí cookie (loanword via Cantonese 曲奇 kuk1 kei4)
child's buttocks (esp. Cantonese) / (onom.) crack, slap, clap, clatter etc
tāi tie / necktie / tire (Cantonese) syn
yuè Cantonese / short name for Guangdong 廣東|广东[Guang3 dong1]
miē used in 乜斜[mie1xie5] / (Cantonese) what? syn
豉油 chǐ yóu soy sauce (chiefly in Cantonese and Hakka areas)
哈日族 hā rì zú Japanophile (refers to teenage craze for everything Japanese, originally mainly in Taiwan)
see 貔貅[pi2 xiu1], composite mythical animal (originally 貔 was the male) syn
xiū see 貔貅[pi2 xiu1], composite mythical animal (originally 貅 was the female)
nǎn brisket / belly beef / spongy meat from cow's underside and neighboring ribs / see 牛腩[niu2 nan3] esp. Cantonese / erroneously translated as sirloin
官非 guān fēi lawsuit (from Cantonese)
小强 小強 xiǎo qiáng (slang) cockroach ("Little Qiang" was originally the name given to a dead cockroach that had supposedly been a pet of the lead character in the 1993 Hong Kong comedy movie "Flirting Scholar". Subsequently, it came to be used as a name for any cockroach, and also for characters in film and television who are seemingly indestructible or repeatedly resurrected.)
白斩鸡 白斬雞 bái zhǎn jī Cantonese poached chicken, known as "white cut chicken"
xùn to sleep (Cantonese) / Mandarin equivalent: 睡[shui4]
fèn to sleep (Cantonese) / Mandarin equivalent: 睡[shui4]
(cattle) tongue (Cantonese)
dōu bamboo, rattan or wicker basket / sedan chair for mountain use (Cantonese)
róu greasy (Cantonese)
吹水 chuī shuǐ (coll.) to chat casually / to shoot the breeze (originally Cantonese)
粤语拼音 粵語拼音 yuè yǔ pīn yīn Cantonese romanization / Jyutping, one of the many Cantonese romanization systems
dài (Cantonese) steering wheel / (Cantonese) tire (car, bicycle)
友谊商店 友誼商店 yǒu yì shāng diàn Friendship Store, PRC state-run store originally intended for foreigners, diplomats etc, specializing in selling imported Western goods and quality Chinese crafts
一种粗棉布 一種粗棉布 yī zhǒng cū mián bù A coarse, loosely woven cotton gauze, originally used for wrapping cheese.
假借义 假借義 jiǎ jiè yì the meaning of a phonetic loan character 假借字[jia3 jie4 zi4] acquired from a similar-sounding word (e.g. 而[er2] originally meant "beard" but acquired the meaning "and")
冏卿 jiǒng qīng minister of the imperial stud, originally charged with horse breeding
冏寺 jiǒng sì same as 太僕寺|太仆寺[Tai4 pu2 si4], Court of imperial stud, office originally charged with horse breeding
冏牧 jiǒng mù minister of the imperial stud, originally charged with horse breeding
刘厚总 劉厚總 liú hòu zǒng Liu Houzong (1904-1949), originally Hunan guerilla leader, rewarded by Chiang Kaishek for killing Xiang Ying 項英|项英[Xiang4 Ying1] during the 1941 New Fourth Army incident 皖南事變|皖南事变[Wan3 nan2 Shi4 bian4]
太仆寺 太僕寺 tài pú sì Court of imperial stud, office originally charged with horse breeding / Taibus banner in Xilingol League 錫林郭勒盟|锡林郭勒盟[Xi1 lin2 guo1 le4 Meng2], Inner Mongolia
太仆寺卿 太僕寺卿 tài pú sì qīng Minister of imperial stud, originally charged with horse breeding
摩诃婆罗多 摩訶婆羅多 mó hē pó luó duō Mahābhārata, second great Indian epic after 羅摩衍那|罗摩衍那[Luo2 mo2 yan3 na4], possibly originally c. 4th century BC
绿旗兵 綠旗兵 lǜ qí bīng same as 綠營|绿营[lu:4 ying2], Green standard army, standing infantry during Qing dynasty, originally formed from Ming and other Chinese army units
绿营兵 綠營兵 lǜ yíng bīng Green standard army, standing infantry during Qing dynasty, originally formed from Ming and other Chinese army units
自报家门 自報家門 zì bào jiā mén to introduce oneself / originally a theatrical device in which a character explains his own role
诺矩罗 諾矩羅 nuò jǔ luó Nuojuluo, monk at start of Tang dynasty, possibly originally immigrant, lived in Qingshen county 青神[Qing1 shen2], Sichuan
闺蜜 閨蜜 guī mì (coll.) (a woman's) close female friend / bestie / (originally written 閨密|闺密, an abbr. for 閨中密友|闺中密友)
扳指 bān zhǐ ornamental thumb ring (originally a ring, often made from jade, worn by archers in ancient times to protect the right thumb when drawing a bowstring)
无用之树 無用之樹 wú yòng zhī shù useless person (originally from Zhuangzi's "A Happy Excursion" 逍遙遊|逍遥游)
xìn variant of 信[xin4] (originally meant as part of the second round of simplified Chinese characters)
太阳饼 太陽餅 tài yáng bǐng suncake (small round cake made with flaky pastry and a maltose filling, originally from Taichung, Taiwan)
前方高能 qián fāng gāo néng (slang) Something awesome is about to happen! (originally, in a Japanese space battleship anime, it meant "Danger! High energy up ahead!" — a warning to either prepare for battle or take evasive action)
无颜见江东父老 無顏見江東父老 wú yán jiàn jiāng dōng fù lǎo (idiom) to be unable to return to one's hometown due to the shame of failure (originally referred to Xiang Yu 項羽|项羽[Xiang4 Yu3], who chose not to retreat to Jiangdong after his humiliating defeat)
筒子米糕 tǒng zǐ mǐ gāo rice tube pudding, a single-serve column of glutinous rice topped with a sauce and garnished (Taiwanese dish, originally prepared by stuffing rice into bamboo tubes and steaming them)
应援 應援 yìng yuán (originally) to provide assistance / (more recently) to show one's support (for a singing idol etc)
糖弹 糖彈 táng dàn sugar-coated bullets, term used by Mao (originally in 1949) to refer to corrupting bourgeois influences (abbr. for 糖衣炮彈|糖衣炮弹[tang2 yi1 pao4 dan4]) syn
糖衣炮弹 糖衣炮彈 táng yī pào dàn sugar-coated bullets, term used by Mao (originally in 1949) to refer to corrupting bourgeois influences syn
三牲 sān shēng the three sacrificial animals (originally cow, sheep and pig / later pig, chicken and fish) syn
原初 yuán chū initial / original / originally / at first syn
超限战 超限戰 chāo xiàn zhàn unrestricted warfare (originally the title of a Chinese book published in 1999, later used to refer to war by any means, military or non-military, including cyberwarfare, economic warfare etc)
杠杠的 槓槓的 gáng gáng de (slang, originally northeast dialect) excellent / great
原拟 原擬 yuán nǐ to initially plan to ... / to originally intend to ...
约吗 約嗎 yuē ma (neologism c. 2014) (slang) Are you interested? (originally an invitation for casual sex, later generalized as a playful or humorous invitation for any activity)
绿林好汉 綠林好漢 lù lín - hǎo hàn (idiom) chivalrous hero, often one who combats injustice or fights for a noble cause (originally referred to a group of outlaws who assembled in 綠林|绿林[Lu4lin2]) syn
diǎo penis / (slang) cool or extraordinary / (Cantonese) to fuck
鬼佬 guǐ lǎo foreigner (Cantonese) / Westerner
The four tones The four tones of Mandarin Pitch over time: tone 1 high and level (red), tone 2 rising (orange), tone 3 falling then rising (green), tone 4 falling (blue). tone 1 tone 2 tone 3 tone 4 Time Pitch

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