gai1 sik6 fong3 gwong1 cung4雞食放光蟲鸡食放光虫

Jyutpinggai1 sik6 fong3 gwong1 cung4

Yalegāi sihk fong gwōng chùhng

語句

Definition

A humorous expression meaning to know something in one's heart without needing it to be said aloud.

colloquialanimalscommunication

How it's used

This is a classic Cantonese xiehouyu, a two part allegorical saying where the second part is often omitted. The full phrase is 雞食放光蟲，心知肚明, meaning the chicken knows exactly what it has swallowed because the firefly glows inside its stomach. It is used to describe a situation where everyone involved is fully aware of the truth, even if no one dares to speak it openly.

Examples

le1呢gin2件si6事daai6大gaa1家dou1都gai1雞sik6食fong3放gwong1光cung4蟲，m4唔sai2使gong2講ceot1出hau2口laa3喇。

Everyone knows what's going on here, no need to say it out loud.

nei5你ji5以wai4為ngo5我m4唔zi1知me1咩？zan1真hai6係gai1雞sik6食fong3放gwong1光cung4蟲aa4呀。

Do you think I don't know? It's really obvious to me.

Common phrases

sam1心zi1知tou5肚ming4明

to know perfectly well in one's heart

Common mistake

Learners often try to use the full phrase, but in natural conversation, people usually only say the first part, 雞食放光蟲, expecting the listener to understand the implication. Using the full phrase can sound like you are reading from a textbook rather than speaking naturally.