doi6 jip6待業待业
Jyutpingdoi6 jip6
Yaledoih yihp
Definition
To be unemployed or waiting for employment; looking for a job.
writtenwork
How it's used
Choosing this term over 失業 signals a more neutral or temporary state, often implying that someone is actively looking for work or in a transitional phase. It carries less of the negative stigma associated with being laid off or fired. It is frequently used in formal contexts like job applications or news reports to describe the status of young graduates or those between career paths.
Examples
He is currently between jobs and resting at home.
Since you are currently unemployed, why not consider changing careers?
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this in casual conversation with friends, as it sounds overly formal or bureaucratic. Most locals would simply say 冇工開 or 揾緊工 instead.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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Classifier
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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).
