cou2 gaai3草芥
Jyutpingcou2 gaai3
Yalechóu gaai
Definition
Worthless as dirt; insignificant people or things of no value.
writtendescriptionspeople
How it's used
Carries a strong literary and dramatic tone, often used to criticize someone for being callous or arrogant. It appears most frequently in formal writing or when someone is making a grand, indignant statement about injustice. You will rarely hear it in casual, everyday small talk.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use this to describe physical trash or literal weeds, as it is strictly a metaphorical term for things or lives deemed insignificant. Using it for actual garbage will sound bizarre and overly poetic.
Grammar color guide
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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).
