caan4 sang1殘生残生
Jyutpingcaan4 sang1
Yalechàahn sāng
Definition
One's remaining years; a wretched life in one's old age.
colloquialemotionpeople
How it's used
This term carries a heavy, somber tone often associated with despair or the final, joyless years of a person's life. It is rarely used in casual conversation unless one is being dramatic or deeply pessimistic about their future. It implies a sense of resignation where the person feels their life has lost its purpose or quality.
Examples
He has spent his whole life living a wretched existence like this.
How do you plan to spend the rest of your miserable life?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the word 餘生, which is a neutral or even poetic way to refer to the rest of one's life. 殘生 specifically emphasizes the wretched, broken, or ruined nature of that remaining time.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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.
