dak1 gwo3 ce2 gwo3得過且過得过且过
Jyutpingdak1 gwo3 ce2 gwo3
Yaledāk gwo ché gwo
Definition
To muddle through; to live aimlessly with a passive, careless attitude just to get by day to day.
colloquialdescriptions
How it's used
This idiom describes a passive, short-sighted attitude toward life or work where one avoids effort as long as immediate disaster is averted. It carries a negative connotation of being lazy or lacking ambition. It is frequently used to criticize someone who is coasting rather than striving for improvement.
Examples
Don't just muddle through life, you need to think about the future.
He just muddles through his job every day, with no heart in it at all.
Related words
Common phrases
to live a life of muddling through
to do one's job with a lackadaisical attitude
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with simply being relaxed or laid-back, but it specifically implies a lack of responsibility or a failure to address underlying issues. It is not used to describe a healthy work-life balance.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
