caau2 jau4炒魷炒鱿
Jyutpingcaau2 jau4
Yalecháau yàuh
Definition
To fire, sack, or lay off an employee.
colloquialwork
How it's used
The phrase literally refers to stir-frying squid, which curls up into a roll when cooked, visually representing the act of rolling up one's bedding to leave a job. It is a very common and slightly informal way to describe termination, often used when someone is fired for poor performance or bad behavior. Use it in casual conversation rather than in a formal HR report or professional email.
Examples
He was always late, and finally got fired by the boss.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the literal act of cooking squid, as the context will usually make the meaning clear. It is a verb phrase, so it is often used in the passive voice with 俾人 to indicate being fired by someone else.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
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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).
