Adjective + 到飛起

Off the Charts

Level 4Sounds Like dou3 fei1 hei2

Adj + 到飛起 (dou3 fei1 hei2) = Extremely / Extraordinarily / Off the charts.

How It Works

The pattern 到飛起 (dou3 fei1 hei2) is a specific type of extent complement in Cantonese. It is used to hyperbolically emphasize an adjective or a psychological state.

1. Structure:
The structure is [Adjective/Verb] + 到 (dou3) + 飛起 (fei1 hei2). The particle 到 is mandatory as it links the adjective to the result or extent.

2. Usage and Nuance:

  • Hyperbolic: It literally means 'to the point of taking flight.' It suggests the intensity is so high it defies gravity.
  • Versatility: While 'flying' sounds positive, this pattern is neutral. It can describe positive things (靚 leng3 - beautiful), negative things (貴 gwai3 - expensive), or stressful states (忙 mong4 - busy).
  • Register: This is strictly informal and spoken. You will hear it constantly in daily life, movies, and social media, but you should avoid it in formal writing or professional speeches.

3. Beyond Adjectives:
It can also follow psychological verbs like 驚 (geng1 - scared) or 嬲 (nau1 - angry). Occasionally, it follows action verbs to describe a severe physical result or a chaotic situation, such as 打到飛起 (daa2 dou3 fei1 hei2). While this can mean to hit someone very badly, it is also frequently used to describe intense competition (e.g., between companies) or high-energy, chaotic situations.

Examples (5)

  1. 呢排公司忙到飛起。

    The office has been busy off the charts lately.

    Word by Word: This period company busy until fly up.

    忙 (mong4) means 'busy'. Adding 到飛起 emphasizes that the workload is extreme.

  2. 件衫靚到飛起，但係貴到飛起。

    This shirt is stunningly beautiful, but it's extraordinarily expensive.

    Word by Word: [Classifier] shirt beautiful until fly up, but expensive until fly up.

    This shows the pattern used for both a positive attribute (靚 leng3) and a negative one (貴 gwai3) in the same sentence.

  3. 佢份人惡到飛起，你最好唔好惹佢。

    He is incredibly fierce; you'd better not provoke him.

    Word by Word: He [classifier] person fierce until fly up, you best not provoke him.

    惡 (ok3) means fierce or mean. Here, the intensifier warns of a high degree of temper.

  4. 尋晚套戲驚到飛起！

    Last night's movie was terrifying!

    Word by Word: Last night [classifier] movie scared until fly up!

    驚 (geng1) is a psychological verb 'to be scared'. The pattern intensifies the emotion felt.

  5. 個衰仔俾阿媽鬧到飛起。

    That naughty boy got scolded severely by his mom.

    Word by Word: That bad boy by mom scold until fly up.

    鬧 (naau6) is an action verb 'to scold'. Here, the complement describes the intensity and severity of the scolding.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the pattern in formal writing.

    Different Meaning報告顯示通脹率高到飛起。
    報告顯示通脹率非常高。

    高到飛起 is a good, very colloquial sentence in speech. In a formal report, 非常 (fei1 soeng4) is the usual choice.

  • Forgetting the linking particle '到' (dou3).

    呢度熱飛起。
    呢度熱到飛起。

    In Cantonese, you must use 到 (dou3) to connect an adjective to an extent complement. Without it, the sentence is ungrammatical.

  • Confusing it with literal movement.

    隻雀仔飛到飛起。
    隻雀仔飛得好高。

    While it contains the word 'fly', it is an idiom for degree. Using it with the verb 'to fly' (飛 fei1) sounds redundant or confusing unless you are being intentionally punny.

How It Connects

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

Adjective + 到飛起Level 4Off the Charts

Learn This First

This pattern is a playful, idiomatic way to express an extreme degree. It uses the extent marker '到' (dou3) followed by the phrase '飛起' (fei1 hei2), which literally means 'flying up', to indicate that the quality of the adjective is 'off the charts'.

Words in This Pattern

飞起