fan1 hou4分毫
Jyutpingfan1 hou4
Yalefān hòuh
Definition
An extremely tiny amount; a tiny fraction or shred.
colloquialmoneydescriptions
How it's used
Often used in negative contexts to emphasize the total absence of something, particularly money or responsibility. It carries a slightly formal or literary weight, making it sound more emphatic than simply saying 冇錢 or 冇關係. You will frequently hear it in legal or financial disputes where precision is paramount.
Examples
They did not receive a single cent.
Related words
Common phrases
not off by a single bit
did not take a single cent
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 毫子, which specifically refers to a ten cent coin in Hong Kong. While both contain the character 毫, 分毫 is an abstract measure of a tiny amount, whereas 毫子 is a concrete noun for currency.
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).
