caan4 guk6殘局残局

Jyutpingcaan4 guk6

Yalechàahn guhk

名詞Uncommon

Definition

The endgame of a chess match, or a chaotic situation left after a failure or mess.

technicalthe final stage of a chess match, particularly Chinese chess
aftermath; a chaotic, messy situation left behind after a failure

colloquialotherdaily actions

How it's used

Beyond the literal chess context, this term is almost exclusively used to describe a negative situation that requires damage control. It carries a sense of frustration or resignation, implying that the person currently dealing with the mess is not the one who caused it. It is frequently paired with verbs like 執 or 收拾 to emphasize the act of repairing the damage.

Measure word

go3個go

Examples

keoi5佢gaau2搞dou3到gam3咁lyun6亂，bin1邊go3個bong1幫keoi5佢zap1執caan4殘guk6局aa4呀？

He made such a mess, who is going to help him clean it up?

le1呢coeng4場kei4棋heoi3去dou3到caan4殘guk6局，zan1真hai6係hou2好haau2考noi6耐sing3性。

This chess game has reached the endgame, it really tests one's patience.

Related words

synonymlaan6 taan1 zi2爛攤子lanh tān jí

Common phrases

sau1收sap6拾caan4殘guk6局

to clean up the mess

zap1執caan4殘guk6局

to deal with the aftermath

Common mistake

Do not use this to describe the end of a positive event or a simple conclusion. It specifically implies that the situation is messy, problematic, or broken, and requires someone to step in and fix it.