bat1 sin6不善
Jyutpingbat1 sin6
Yalebāt sihn
Definition
Poor, bad, or not good at something.
- poor; bad; not good enough
- not good at; not skilled in
writtenworkdescriptions
How it's used
While this term is understood in Cantonese, it carries a formal or literary tone that is more common in written reports or news than in casual conversation. In everyday speech, people typically prefer using 唔擅長 for skills or 做得唔好 for general performance. Using it in a very informal setting might make you sound like you are reading from a document.
Examples
He is poor at communicating, so it is hard for him to work with others.
The company was poorly managed and ended up closing down.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a general adjective meaning bad, but it specifically describes a lack of skill or proficiency in a particular area. It is not used to describe the quality of an object, such as a broken chair or bad food.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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Classifier
Particle
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Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
