千祈唔好

Whatever You Do Don't

Level 4Sounds Like cin1 kei4 m4 hou2

Use 千祈唔好 (cin1 kei4 m4 hou2) when you need to issue a strong warning, earnest advice, or a desperate plea. It is much stronger than a simple 'don't'.

How It Works

1. Meaning and Tone
The pattern 千祈唔好 (cin1 kei4 m4 hou2) is used to express 'whatever you do, don't' or 'don't ever.' It carries a tone of earnestness, anxiety, or crucial advice. It is not just a cold command; it often implies that the speaker is worried about the consequences if the listener does the action.

2. Sentence Structure
The phrase acts as an adverbial intensifier and precedes the verb phrase:

  • [Subject] + 千祈唔好 + [Verb Phrase] + [Particle]

3. Contractions and Variations
In rapid spoken Cantonese, 唔好 (m4 hou2) is frequently contracted to 咪 (mai5) or mou2. Therefore, you will often hear 千祈咪 (cin1 kei4 mai5) or 千祈 mou2 in casual conversation.

4. Positive Counterpart
Although this pattern focuses on the negative, you can use the same intensifier for positive 'must-do' commands by using 要 (jiu3), resulting in 千祈要 (cin1 kei4 jiu3) — 'you absolutely must.'

Examples (4)

  1. 你千祈唔好話畀佢聽呀！

    Whatever you do, don't tell him!

    Word by Word: You thousand prayers don't speak give him hear [particle]!

    This uses the common structure 話畀...聽 (waa6 bei2... teng1) to mean 'tell'. The addition of the particle 呀 (aa3) softens the tone slightly while maintaining the urgency.

  2. 聽日個面試好重要，你千祈唔好遲到。

    Tomorrow's interview is very important; you absolutely must not be late.

    Word by Word: Tomorrow [classifier] interview very important, you thousand prayers don't late arrive.

    Here, the pattern is used for earnest advice where the stakes are high.

  3. 千祈唔好行嗰條路，好危險㗎。

    By all means, do not walk down that road; it's very dangerous.

    Word by Word: Thousand prayers don't walk that [classifier] road, very dangerous [particle].

    This is a safety warning. The particle 㗎 (gaa3) at the end emphasizes that this is a known fact or a reminder.

  4. 你千祈唔好唔記得帶鎖匙呀。

    Whatever you do, don't forget to bring the keys.

    Word by Word: You thousand prayers don't not remember bring keys [particle].

    This uses a double negative: 唔好 (don't) + 唔記得 (m4 gei3 dak1) (forget). It emphasizes the importance of remembering.

Common Mistakes

  • Confusing 'cin1 kei4' with 'kau4 kei4'.

    你求祈唔好遲到。
    你千祈唔好遲到。

    求祈 (kau4 kei4) means 'sloppy' or 'casual'. Beginners often mix them up because they share the 'kei4' sound. Remember: 千祈 (cin1 kei4) is for 'praying/beseeching' (urgency).

  • Using the Mandarin-style 千萬 in natural speech.

    Different Meaning你千萬唔好去。
    你千祈唔好去。

    千萬唔好去 is also heard in Hong Kong, but 千萬 (cin1 maan6) leans formal or written. 千祈 (cin1 kei4) is the more colloquial choice.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

千祈唔好Level 4Whatever You Do Don't

Learn This First

To understand '千祈唔好' (whatever you do, don't), you first need to be comfortable with the basic negative imperative '唔好' (don't). '千祈' acts as an intensifier placed before the command to raise the level of urgency or warning.

Words in This Pattern

千祈唔好唔好千祈