fu6 zi1 dung1 lau4付之東流付之东流
Jyutpingfu6 zi1 dung1 lau4
Yalefuh jī dūng làuh
Definition
To go in vain; to go down the drain, with all previous efforts completely wasted.
writtenother
How it's used
This is a formal idiom often used in written Cantonese or serious speech to describe a total loss of effort or resources. It carries a sense of finality and regret, as if the outcome is now beyond recovery. While it is understood in spoken contexts, it sounds quite literary compared to everyday expressions like 嘥晒.
Examples
The money he worked hard to save for a long time ended up going down the drain.
jyu4如gwo2果gam1今ci3次gai3計waak6劃sat1失baai6敗，ngo5我dei6哋zi1之cin4前koi3嘅nou5努lik6力hai6係mai1咪wui2會fu6付zi1之dung1東lau4流？
If this plan fails, will all our previous efforts be wasted?
Related words
Common phrases
hard work goes down the drain
wasted efforts
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
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Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- 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.
