caak6 haam3 zuk1 caak6賊喊捉賊贼喊捉贼
Jyutpingcaak6 haam3 zuk1 caak6
Yalechaahk haam jūk chaahk
Definition
To play the victim or join the search for the culprit after doing something wrong; a thief crying "stop thief".
colloquialpeopleother
How it's used
This idiom describes a manipulative tactic where the perpetrator deflects blame by loudly accusing others of the very act they committed themselves. It is frequently used in workplace conflicts or personal disputes to highlight hypocrisy and deceptive behavior. The phrase carries a strong sense of moral condemnation.
Examples
He stole the money himself and then cried 'stop thief', it is truly outrageous.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a simple accusation of lying, but it specifically requires the person to be the one who committed the original offense. It is not used for someone who is merely lying about their own innocence without actively framing someone else.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
