baak6 gwo2白果

Jyutpingbaak6 gwo2

Yalebaahk gwó

名詞

Definition

Ginkgo seed, or a fruitless endeavor.

ginkgo; ginkgo seed
figurativea fruitless endeavor; doing something in vain with no harvest

colloquialfooddaily actions

How it's used

Beyond the literal meaning of the ginkgo seed, this term is a staple of everyday Cantonese when describing failed efforts or missed opportunities. It carries a sense of frustration or disappointment, often used when someone has invested time or energy into a task only to receive zero reward. It is frequently paired with the verb 食 to form the idiomatic expression 食白果.

Measure word

nap1粒nāp

Examples

ngo5我gam1今jat6日paai4排zo2咗sing4成go3個zung1鐘deoi2隊，zeoi3最hau6後ging2竟jin4然sik6食baak6白gwo2果。

I queued for an hour today, but ended up getting nothing at all.

nei5你gam3咁joeng6樣zou6做hai6係mai1咪soeng2想ling3令keoi5佢sik6食baak6白gwo2果aa1呀？

Are you trying to make him come away empty-handed by doing that?

Common phrases

sik6食baak6白gwo2果

to come away empty-handed

Common mistake

Do not confuse this with the Mandarin usage of 白果, which strictly refers to the ginkgo nut in a culinary context. In Cantonese, the metaphorical meaning of failing to achieve a goal is far more common than the literal reference to the ingredient.