fu6 baai6 mou4 nang4腐敗無能腐败无能
Jyutpingfu6 baai6 mou4 nang4
Yalefuh baaih mòuh nàhng
Definition
Corrupt and incompetent; lacking ability and integrity.
writtenworkother
How it's used
This is a formal idiom often used in political commentary or critical social discourse to describe failing institutions. It carries a heavy, condemnatory tone that is rarely used in casual small talk. While it functions as an adjective, it is most commonly used as a predicate following a subject or a linking verb like 係.
Examples
Their government is corrupt and incompetent, and the citizens are very dissatisfied.
Why has the department become so corrupt and incompetent?
Related words
Common phrases
a corrupt and incompetent government
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a simple description of a person's character, but it is almost exclusively reserved for organizations, governments, or large-scale systems. Using it to describe an individual's poor work performance sounds unnatural and overly dramatic.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
