cung1 saang1 saai3充生晒
Jyutpingcung1 saang1 saai3
Yalechūng sāang saai
Definition
To pretend to know everything or act like a big shot.
colloquialpeopleslang
How it's used
Carries a strong sense of mockery towards someone who acts wealthy or knowledgeable to gain social status. It specifically targets the act of inflating one's image to impress others. While it was common in older generations, it is now considered quite dated and might sound like you are mimicking 1980s or 1990s Hong Kong cinema.
Examples
He always puts on a front, but he only has a few hundred dollars in his account.
Related words
Common phrases
to put on a front and pretend to be rich
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with simply being proud or confident. It specifically implies that the person is faking their status or knowledge, and the speaker is exposing that deception.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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).
