bok3 tau4 gou1 gwo3 ji5膊頭高過耳膊头高过耳

Jyutpingbok3 tau4 gou1 gwo3 ji5

Yalebok tàuh gōu gwo yíh

Definition

To describe someone who is extremely skinny, looking like an opium addict with shoulders rising higher than their ears.

colloquialbodydescriptions

How it's used

This expression is a vivid, slightly old-fashioned idiom used to describe someone who is extremely thin or gaunt. It evokes the image of a person whose neck appears unnaturally long or whose shoulders have hunched up due to severe malnutrition or frailty. It is rarely used to describe someone who is just slim, but rather someone whose physical state is concerning.

Examples

keoi5佢sau3瘦dou3到bok3膊tau4頭gou1高gwo3過ji5耳，zan1真hai6係jiu3要sik6食do1多di1啲je5嘢。

He is so skinny that his shoulders are higher than his ears, he really needs to eat more.

nei5你tai2睇keoi5佢bok3膊tau4頭gou1高gwo3過ji5耳gam3咁joeng2樣，hai6係mai6咪beng6病zo2咗aa4呀？

Look at him, he's so frail and thin, is he sick?

Common phrases

sau3瘦dou3到bok3膊tau4頭gou1高gwo3過ji5耳

so skinny that one's shoulders are higher than one's ears

Common mistake

Do not use this to describe someone who is simply fit or slender, as it carries a strong connotation of being sickly or emaciated. It is a descriptive idiom rather than a neutral adjective for body type.