潛水
cim4 seoi2
The English phrase 'diving' is 潛水 in Cantonese.
潛水 primarily refers to the practice of swimming underwater. In internet slang, however, it is used to describe 'lurking' or being a silent observer in an online community without posting.
Meaning: practice of swimming underwater (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 潛 (to submerge/dive) and 水 (water).
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the action of going diving, you can add the verb 去 before the phrase, as in 去潛水.
How do you pronounce it?
cim4 seoi2
Did you know?
- While in English 'diving' is a physical sport, in a Cantonese workplace context, someone who is 潛水 might be jokingly described as someone who is avoiding work or 'hiding' from responsibilities.
- While 潛水 means 'diving', the word 潛 can also be used to describe someone who is 'laying low' to avoid trouble or attention in real life, not just online.
- In Cantonese, the concept of 'diving' into a topic or a problem is often expressed using the word 鑽 (to drill or bore), rather than 潛.
Examples in context
- 我好鍾意潛水。ngo5 hou2 zung1 ji3 cim4 seoi2.I love diving.
- 潛水係一種好冒險嘅運動。cim4 seoi2 hai6 jat1 zung2 hou2 mou6 him2 ge3 wan6 dung6.Diving is a very adventurous sport.
Example conversation
Two friends are planning a vacation to the beach.
- 子健 Tsz Kin雅婷，我哋去潛水好嗎？aa2 ting4, ngo5 dei6 heoi3 cim4 seoi2 hou2 maa1?Ya Ting, shall we go diving?
- 雅婷 Nga Ting好呀，我想睇珊瑚。hou2 aa3, ngo5 soeng2 tai2 san1 hou4.Sure, I want to see the coral.
- 子健 Tsz Kin你有冇潛水證書？nei5 jau5 mou5 cim4 seoi2 zing3 syu1?Do you have a diving certificate?
- 雅婷 Nga Ting冇，我要請教練。mou5, ngo5 jiu3 cing2 gaau3 lyun2.No, I need to hire an instructor.
