gau2 ngau4 jat1 mou4九牛一毛

Jyutpinggau2 ngau4 jat1 mou4

Yalegáu ngàuh yāt mòuh

名詞

Definition

An insignificant or minute part of a huge quantity; a drop in the bucket.

neutraldescriptions

How it's used

Idioms like this are often used to emphasize how small a contribution or loss is when compared to a much larger whole. It carries a slightly formal or literary tone despite being common in speech, so it is best used when you want to sound a bit more emphatic or descriptive than just saying 好少.

Examples

ni1呢di1啲cin2錢deoi3對keoi5佢lai4嚟gong2講zi2只hai6係gau2九ngau4牛jat1一mou4毛zaa5咋。

This amount of money is just a drop in the bucket for him.

nei5你go2嗰siu2少siu2少syun2損sat1失，bei2比hei2起keoi5佢ge3嘅syun2損sat1失gaan2簡zik6直hai6係gau2九ngau4牛jat1一mou4毛。

Your minor loss is practically nothing compared to his.

Common phrases

gaan2簡zik6直hai6係gau2九ngau4牛jat1一mou4毛

simply a drop in the bucket

Common mistake

Learners sometimes mistakenly use this to describe something that is simply small in size, but it specifically requires a context of comparison where the larger whole is clearly implied or present.