fo2 siu1 ngaan5 mei4火燒眼眉火烧眼眉
Jyutpingfo2 siu1 ngaan5 mei4
Yalefó sīu ngáahn mèih
Definition
Extremely urgent or imminent, describing a crisis that requires immediate action.
colloquialtimework
How it's used
Evoking the imagery of one's eyebrows being singed by fire, this idiom captures the feeling of a crisis that has reached a breaking point. It is used exclusively to describe situations where the window for action is closing rapidly, rather than just a general state of being busy. It is common to hear it used in professional or financial contexts when a deadline or a debt is about to expire.
Examples
You still haven't finished the report? It's really urgent now!
The situation is critical right now, and you're still in the mood to go out and play?
Related words
Common phrases
as urgent as a fire burning one's eyebrows
Common mistake
Do not use this to describe a person who is simply stressed or busy. It specifically refers to an external situation or problem that has become an immediate, pressing emergency.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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).
