daai6 wok6 je5大鑊嘢大镬嘢
Jyutpingdaai6 wok6 je5
Yaledaaih wohk yéh
Definition
A big disaster, major trouble, or a serious mess.
colloquialother
How it's used
Originating from Cantonese kitchen slang, the term literally refers to a large wok. It implies a situation so dire that it is like burning or ruining the contents of a massive cooking vessel, which would be a significant waste and a major problem for the chef. It is used exclusively to describe serious trouble or a catastrophic mistake rather than just a minor inconvenience.
Examples
This time it is a real disaster, what should we do?
You made such a huge mess, how are you going to fix this?
Related words
Common phrases
to cause a huge mess
really a big disaster
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with simply being busy or having a lot of work. It specifically carries a negative connotation of failure, trouble, or a mess that needs cleaning up.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
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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).
