cou3 dai2燥底
Jyutpingcou3 dai2
Yalechou dái
Definition
Irritable or bad-tempered, originating from the Chinese medicine term for a hot and dry body constitution.
- irritable, bad-tempered, or easily angered
- technicalhaving a hot and dry body constitution, prone to internal heat
colloquialemotionhealth
How it's used
Originally derived from traditional Chinese medicine, this term links physical heatiness to emotional instability. It is now used almost exclusively to describe someone who has a short fuse or a volatile personality. It carries a slightly informal tone, often implying that the person's anger is a predictable or recurring trait.
Examples
He is usually very bad-tempered, so you better not provoke him.
Why are you so irritable? Drink some herbal tea to cool down.
Related words
Common phrases
having a volatile personality
a short-tempered person
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 燥熱, which refers strictly to the physical state of being heaty in Chinese medicine. While 燥底 implies a personality prone to anger, 燥熱 describes a bodily condition that might cause symptoms like sore throats or acne.
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).
