cat1 sau2 baat3 goek3七手八腳七手八脚

Jyutpingcat1 sau2 baat3 goek3

Yalechāt sáu baat geuk

語句

Definition

Flustered and disorganized, or describing many people pitching in together to do something.

figurativein a bustle; frantic; flustered and disorganized
with everyone pitching in to help

colloquialdaily actionspeople

How it's used

This idiom functions as a versatile descriptor for chaotic group activity or individual clumsiness. It captures the visual of too many people trying to handle one task at once, often resulting in more mess than progress. Unlike formal idioms, it is frequently used in casual settings to describe the frantic energy of a group working together.

Examples

daai6大gaa1家cat1七sau2手baat3八goek3腳，hou2好faai3快zau6就zap1執hou2好saai3晒di1啲je5嘢。

Everyone pitched in, and we finished packing everything up really quickly.

nei5你zou6做me1咩cat1七sau2手baat3八goek3腳gam3咁，sai2使m4唔sai2使ngo5我bong1幫sau2手aa4呀？

Why are you being so frantic and clumsy, do you need my help?

Common phrases

cat1七sau2手baat3八goek3腳bong1幫sau2手

to pitch in and help frantically

cat1七sau2手baat3八goek3腳gam3咁gaau2搞

to mess something up by having too many people involved

Common mistake

Learners often mistake this for purely negative clumsiness, but it is frequently used in a positive or neutral sense to describe a group working together to get a job done quickly.