Chinese languages

Hi,

a friend told me, that this phrase is often used in Cantonese.
I could not find it in any Cantonese book, so I am suspicious, that
it is used THAT often ....

he told me, the real meaning is : "are you kidding ?",
not the word by word translation.

is that right ?

what does the word by word translation mean and what are the tones
of the words ?

I guess the first 2 ones are yau5 mou 5 (= do you have ...?), right ?

did I wrote "gau cho a" right ? or is it " gau chou a" ?

Thanks !

搞错 gaau2 co3 are you mistaken.I don't like people use g in guangzhou cantonese because only taishan has g alphabet if we follow IPA

Tom,

Your friend is right on both accounts - it is a phrase used a lot, and it does often mean "Are you kidding?"

But it depends on the context and the overall tone of the phrase. It can sometimes mean "What's wrong with you!?", in either a jocular or serious manner.

Yau5 mou5 gaau2 c(h)o3
Trad. 有冇攪/搞錯
Simp. 有冇搅/搞错

If you can't find it under yau5, then try looking under gaau2 co3.[/code]

Hi,

a friend of mine used this phrase once, when he spoke to some
Cantonese friends.

But all started laughing and the women became red in the face.

when he asked, what he said wrong, a ( male) friend explained to him, that he pronounced it wrong and actually he said
"my dick is stinking" ......

is that really possible ?

what exactly did my friend say, what did he say wrong or pronounce
( tones ) wrong ?

Cris... unfortunately... your friend is correct (in a way) since he's using slang Cantonese. Which I don't recommend you learning, as it contains rude and offensive words.

Actually, it seems like Cris's friend intended to say /gaau2 co3/ but ended up saying something like /gau1 cau3/ (vulgar)dick + stink.

I think it's a good idea for learners to learn the "five vulgar characters" in order to avoid embarassing oneself by accidentally saying one of them.

susiwong wrote:It just shows how we've got to be careful when pronouncing the words. One slip and you're in trouble!

It's not so serious. The worst thing that could happen to you is that you are laughed at.