dou3 diu3 saa1 bou1倒吊沙煲
Jyutpingdou3 diu3 saa1 bou1
Yaledou diu sā bōu
Definition
Extremely poor, having no money for food.
colloquialmoneyfood
How it's used
Evokes a vivid image of a kitchen so empty that even the cooking pot is turned upside down to show there is nothing left to cook. It acts as a humorous but serious way to describe being completely destitute or having run out of funds for basic necessities. It is often used to emphasize the urgency of a financial crisis rather than just being slightly short on cash.
Examples
I'm tight on money lately, I'm really broke.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use this to describe being merely 'broke' or 'short on cash' for a luxury item. It specifically implies a lack of resources for basic survival or food, carrying a much heavier weight than simply having an empty wallet.
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).
