gau2 siu1 wan4 ngoi6九霄雲外九霄云外
Jyutpinggau2 siu1 wan4 ngoi6
Yalegáu sīu wàhn ngoih
Definition
A place far, far away; beyond the highest heavens.
neutralemotion
How it's used
This idiom is almost exclusively used in the phrase 拋去九霄雲外 or 拋諸九霄雲外 to describe letting go of negative emotions or forgetting something entirely. It carries a sense of total detachment or complete abandonment of a thought. While it literally refers to a remote place, it is rarely used to describe physical travel distances.
Examples
He threw all his worries far away.
Related words
Common phrases
to cast far away
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a literal description of a location, but it is primarily used figuratively to describe mental states or abstract concepts like worries and memories.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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.
