gau2 cin4 bat1 cing1糾纏不清纠缠不清
Jyutpinggau2 cin4 bat1 cing1
Yalegáu chìhn bāt chīng
Definition
Entangled, messy, or impossible to resolve clearly.
colloquialemotionpeople
How it's used
Focuses on the emotional or interpersonal messiness that prevents a clean break. It implies a cycle of conflict or attachment that drags on without a clear resolution. Use this when describing relationships or disputes that are stuck in a loop of drama.
Examples
Those two are still entangled with each other, it is so annoying.
Related words
Common phrases
a messy and unresolved relationship
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe physical tangles like knotted cables or hair, as it is strictly reserved for abstract, interpersonal, or situational complexity.
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.
