妒忌
dou3 gei6
The English word "jealous" is translated into Cantonese as 妒忌 (dou3 gei6).
The term is an adjective used to describe feeling envious or resentful of someone because of a perceived advantage or material possession.
Meaning: envious, feeling resentful of someone for a perceived advantage, material or otherwise (adj)
Which one should you use?
The term 嫉妒 is a formal noun meaning "jealousy".
How do you pronounce it?
dou3 gei6
Did you know?
- In Cantonese, you might hear the term 眼红 (ngo5 hung4), which literally means 'red eyes', to describe being green with envy.
- While 妒忌 describes the emotion, people often use the term 酸 (syun1), meaning 'sour', to mock someone who is acting out of jealousy.
- In traditional Chinese culture, jealousy is often linked to the 'seven emotions' 七情, where 妒 is categorized as a disruptive force that affects physical health.
Examples in context
- 你妒忌。You were jealous.This sentence illustrates how to use 妒忌 to state that someone was jealous.Tatoeba #3364533 by kaenif, translation #2255271 by CK
- 見到佢同人拍拖，真係羨慕嫉妒恨啊。Seeing him dating someone, I'm truly filled with envy and jealousy.
- 佢好妒忌人哋嘅成功。keoi hou du6 ji6 jan4 dei6 ge3 sing4 kung4.He is very jealous of other people's success.
Example conversation
Jun Kit and Mei Ling are talking about a promotion at work.
- 俊傑 Chun Kit美玲，你升職咗，我真係好妒忌。mei5 ling4, nei5 sing1 zik1 zo2, ngo5 zan1 hai6 hou2 dou6 gei6.Mei Ling, you got promoted, I'm really jealous.
- 美玲 Mei Ling唔使妒忌，你下次一定可以。m4 sai2 dou6 gei6, nei5 haa6 ci3 jat1 ding6 ho2 ji5.No need to be jealous, you'll definitely get it next time.
- 俊傑 Chun Kit多謝你嘅鼓勵。do1 ze6 nei5 ge3 gu2 lai6.Thanks for your encouragement.
- 美玲 Mei Ling我哋一齊努力啦。ngo5 dei6 jat1 cai4 nou5 lik6 laa1.Let's work hard together.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
