gei1 bat1 zaak6 sik6飢不擇食饥不择食
Definition
To be so hungry as to eat anything, or figuratively, too eager for sex to be selective.
- to be starving and eat whatever is available
- figurativeto be sexually desperate and unselective in choosing partners
How it's used
This idiom is often used in a slightly humorous or self-deprecating way to describe someone who has lost their usual standards because of extreme hunger. While it originates from formal written Chinese, it is frequently used in spoken Cantonese to describe situations where one is forced to accept whatever is available. It can also be used metaphorically to describe someone who is so desperate for companionship or attention that they lower their standards significantly.
Examples
Related words
Common phrases
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with simply being hungry, as it specifically implies a loss of selectivity due to desperation. It is not used to describe someone who is just a picky eater or someone who enjoys eating a wide variety of foods.
Grammar color guide
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.
