cyun3 cou2 bat1 lau4寸草不留
Jyutpingcyun3 cou2 bat1 lau4
Yalechyun chóu bāt làuh
Definition
To leave absolutely nothing; to completely destroy, kill everyone, and leave not even a single blade of grass.
- to utterly destroy and leave nothing behind; to kill everyone
- slangto shave one's head completely bald
colloquialdescriptionsother
How it's used
Originally a military idiom describing scorched earth tactics, this phrase is now frequently used in casual speech to describe total depletion of resources or money. It carries a sense of extreme thoroughness, often implying a destructive or exhaustive outcome. When used to describe a person losing money, it emphasizes that they have been completely cleaned out.
Examples
He lost everything until there was nothing left, it is really miserable.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the literal meaning of hair removal, as it is almost exclusively used metaphorically to describe the total loss of assets, resources, or the aftermath of a disaster.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
