dang1 jau4 fo2 laap6燈油火蠟灯油火蜡

Jyutpingdang1 jau4 fo2 laap6

Yaledāng yàuh fó laahp

名詞

Definition

Overheads and day-to-day living expenses.

colloquialmoneywork

How it's used

Originally referring to the physical supplies needed to keep a traditional household or shop running, this term has evolved into a standard idiom for recurring operational costs. It is frequently used by small business owners or heads of households to describe the unavoidable, small but cumulative expenses that keep a place functioning. You will rarely hear it used for large capital investments, as it specifically targets the routine, day-to-day bills.

Examples

zou6做saang1生ji3意zeoi3最gan2緊jiu3要gai2計hou2好dang1燈jau4油fo2火laap6蠟。

The most important thing in business is to calculate your overheads well.

gaan1間pou2舖mui5每go3個jyut6月dang1燈jau4油fo2火laap6蠟dou1都jiu3要seng4成maan6萬man1蚊。

The shop's monthly overheads come to nearly ten thousand dollars.

Common phrases

gai2計dang1燈jau4油fo2火laap6蠟

to calculate overheads

haan1慳dang1燈jau4油fo2火laap6蠟

to save on overheads

Common mistake

Do not use this to describe major one-off expenses like rent or staff salaries, as those are usually considered separate from the day-to-day utility-like costs implied by this phrase.