diu lei
- interjection
- Informal
:
¡diu lei!
- Wow, diu lei! That was an amazing performance!
Examples
-
She couldn't help but exclaim diu lei when she saw the results.
-
I can't believe you did that! diu lei!
-
He shouted diu lei when the ball hit the window unexpectedly.
-
People often say diu lei in Cantonese when they're taken by surprise.
-
He shouted diu lei when the fireworks lit up the sky unexpectedly.
-
People often exclaim diu lei during festive celebrations to show their excitement.
-
She couldn't believe her eyes and exclaimed diu lei when she met her favorite celebrity.
Synonyms
∞
7.2
A short sound people make to show surprise or pleasure
359
9.9
A shout people make to show excitement or surprise
36
9.4
A short sound people say to show surprise or admiration
16
8.3
A short sound people say to show surprise or excitement
14
9.9
A short cry showing surprise or excitement
3
9.9
A short sound people make to show surprise or admiration
A short cry people say when they are surprised, upset, or cannot believe something
A short phrase people say when they feel surprised or do not believe something
A short phrase people say to show surprise at something amazing
How Strong
Surface Forms
Morphology
diu + lei
This is a Cantonese interjection whose constituent items have no lexical definitions provided and do not compose into the glossed meaning in any transparent, language-general way. The expression is idiomatic/pragmatic (an exclamation of surprise or strong emotion) and its meaning cannot be predicted from the parts, so learners who only know the constituents would not be able to infer the overall sense.
Etymology
Diu lei comes from a Cantonese curse: diu is a very rude word and lei means 'you', so the phrase began as a sharp insult. That's why people now use diu lei as a quick, strong exclamation for surprise, anger, or excitement.