daan1 sau2 duk6 kyun4單手獨拳单手独拳

Jyutpingdaan1 sau2 duk6 kyun4

Yaledāan sáu duhk kyùhn

Definition

Alone and without any help or support.

colloquialpeoplework

How it's used

This idiom carries a sense of vulnerability and hardship, emphasizing the lack of support rather than just being solitary by choice. It is frequently used to warn someone that a task is too heavy for one person to carry out effectively. The imagery suggests a fighter who has lost their backup, highlighting the difficulty of succeeding without a team.

Examples

keoi5佢daan1單sau2手duk6獨kyun4拳，dim2點gaau2搞dak1得dim6掂gam3咁do1多je5嘢aa4呀？

He is all on his own, how can he handle so many things?

zou6做saang1生ji3意m4唔hou2好daan1單sau2手duk6獨kyun4拳，wan2搵go3個paak3拍dong3檔hou2好di1啲。

Don't go it alone in business, it is better to find a partner.

Common phrases

daan1單sau2手duk6獨kyun4拳gam3咁zou6做

doing it all by oneself

Common mistake

Do not confuse this with simply being alone or single, as it specifically implies a struggle against a task or situation that requires more than one person's effort.