gai1 mou4 syun3 pei4雞毛蒜皮鸡毛蒜皮
Jyutpinggai1 mou4 syun3 pei4
Yalegāi mòuh syun pèih
Definition
Trivial, petty, or insignificant things of very little importance.
colloquialdescriptionspeople
How it's used
Focusing on the insignificance of an issue, this idiom is frequently used to dismiss complaints or arguments that the speaker deems a waste of time. It carries a slightly impatient or condescending tone, implying that the person making a fuss lacks perspective. It is almost exclusively used to describe interpersonal conflicts or minor daily annoyances rather than professional or structural problems.
Examples
There is no need to be so nervous about such trivial matters.
It is really boring for you two to argue over such petty things.
Related words
Common phrases
trivial matters
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use this as a noun to refer to a single small object, but it is an adjective or a descriptive phrase for abstract situations or conflicts. It cannot be used to describe a small physical item like a pebble or a coin.
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).
