daai6 sek6 zaak3 sei2 haai5大石責死蟹大石责死蟹
Jyutpingdaai6 sek6 zaak3 sei2 haai5
Yaledaaih sehk jaak séi háaih
Definition
To be crushed, suppressed, or defeated by overwhelming force, authority, or a powerful opponent.
colloquialpeopleother
How it's used
This idiom vividly describes a situation where a weaker party is completely overwhelmed or silenced by a much more powerful force. It is often used in workplace or social contexts to highlight an unfair power dynamic where the subordinate has no room for negotiation or dissent. The imagery of a crab being unable to move under a heavy stone captures the feeling of total helplessness.
Examples
Their company is like a big rock crushing a crab; the employees have no way to resist.
Facing such immense pressure, it really feels like being a crab crushed by a big rock.
Related words
Common phrases
like a big rock crushing a crab
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
