caam2 bat1 jan2 dou2慘不忍睹惨不忍睹
Jyutpingcaam2 bat1 jan2 dou2
Yalecháam bāt yán dóu
Definition
Too horrible, tragic, or painful to look at.
colloquialdescriptionsemotion
How it's used
Originally describing tragic scenes of death or destruction, this idiom is frequently used in casual conversation to exaggerate mundane situations. It is common to hear it applied to poor exam results, messy living spaces, or even a disastrous haircut. The tone is dramatic and emphasizes that the situation is so bad that one would rather look away.
Examples
His room is in such a horrible mess that it's painful to look at.
The car accident scene was too horrible to look at and scared many passersby.
Related words
Common phrases
a scene too horrible to look at
dreadful results
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe people's physical appearance directly, as it can sound extremely insulting and cruel. It is best reserved for situations, events, or objects rather than individuals.
Grammar color guide
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Adjective
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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).
