講開又講

While We're on the Subject

Level 4Sounds Like gong2 hoi1 jau6 gong2

講開又講 (gong2 hoi1 jau6 gong2) is a discourse marker used to introduce a side topic or a related point. It is equivalent to 'Speaking of which' or 'While we're on the subject' in English.

How It Works

講開又講 (gong2 hoi1 jau6 gong2) is a staple of colloquial Cantonese conversation. It is used when something just said triggers a memory or a related question in your mind. A common variant is 講起又講 (gong2 hei2 jau6 gong2), which is used interchangeably.

Key Characteristics:

  • Placement: It almost always appears at the very beginning of a sentence or a new clause to signal a transition.
  • Logical Link: Unlike generic 'by the way' markers like 話時話 (waa6 si4 waa6), which can introduce totally unrelated topics, 講開又講 requires a thematic connection to what was just mentioned.
  • Softening: It is often followed by 呀 (aa3), 呢 (ne1), or 吖 (aa1) to make the transition sound more natural.
  • Register: This is strictly for spoken Cantonese. In formal written contexts, you would use equivalents like 說起來 (syut3 hei2 loi4).

Examples (4)

  1. 講開又講，你移咗民幾耐呀？

    While we're on the subject, how long ago did you emigrate?

    Word by Word: speak open again speak, you move-PFV people how long [particle]?

    Used here to ask a specific follow-up question about living abroad after the general topic of immigration was raised.

  2. 講開又講，你夠條件報名，點解唔試下呢？

    Speaking of which, you're qualified to sign up, why don't you give it a try?

    Word by Word: speak open again speak, you enough condition report name, why not try [delimitative] [particle]?

    The speaker uses the phrase to pivot from discussing an event to encouraging the listener to participate in it.

  3. 講開又講，佢份人其實都幾好。

    Now that we're talking about him, he's actually a pretty good person.

    Word by Word: speak open again speak, he [classifier] person actually also quite good.

    This introduces a personal opinion about someone who was just mentioned in the conversation.

  4. 講開又講吖，聽日你係咪放假呀？

    Speaking of which, are you on holiday tomorrow?

    Word by Word: speak open again speak [particle], tomorrow you is-not-is release holiday [particle]?

    The addition of the particle 吖 (aa1) softens the transition into a question about the listener's schedule.

Common Mistakes

  • Using it for completely unrelated topic shifts.

    （討論緊天氣）講開又講，你部電腦幾錢？
    （討論緊天氣）話時話，你部電腦幾錢？

    If you are talking about the weather and suddenly want to ask about a computer, use 話時話 (waa6 si4 waa6) 'By the way.' 講開又講 (gong2 hoi1 jau6 gong2) requires a logical link to the previous topic.

  • Confusing it with 'talking repeatedly' due to the word 'again' (又).

    佢講開又講嗰件事。
    佢成日重複講嗰件事。

    講開又講 is a fixed discourse marker, not a verb phrase meaning 'to say something again and again.' To express repetition, use words like 重複 (cung4 fuk1) or 成日 (sing4 jat6).

How It Connects

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

講開又講Level 4While We're on the Subject

Learn This First

To understand '講開又講' (while we're on the subject), learners need to understand the aspect marker '開', which here signifies starting or being in the middle of a topic, and the use of '又' to introduce an additional, related thought.

Words in This Pattern

讲开又讲