diu1 cung4 siu2 gei6雕蟲小技雕虫小技
Jyutpingdiu1 cung4 siu2 gei6
Yaledīu chùhng síu geih
Definition
Trivial skills; insignificant talents or minor accomplishments.
colloquialdescriptions
How it's used
Used primarily to belittle someone's abilities or to express modesty about one's own work. It carries a strong sense of condescension, implying that the skill in question is superficial or lacks depth. It is often used in a sarcastic way to dismiss someone who is showing off.
Examples
These trivial tricks are only good for fooling kids.
He thinks he is very impressive, but it is actually just a minor skill.
Related words
Common phrases
just a trivial trick
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a compliment or a neutral term for a hobby. It is almost exclusively used to diminish the value of a technique or performance, so avoid using it to describe your own professional work unless you are being extremely humble.
Grammar color guide
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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).
