git3 geoi1拮据
Definition
Short of money; impoverished and struggling to make ends meet.
How it's used
This term carries a formal, slightly literary tone that contrasts with the more common colloquial expressions like 手緊 or 冇錢. It is frequently used in written contexts or when someone wants to describe their financial hardship with a sense of gravity or self-reflection. While it describes a state of being broke, it specifically implies a long-term or structural lack of funds rather than just having an empty wallet for the day.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a general word for being poor, but it specifically refers to the state of being financially constrained or stretched thin. It is not used to describe someone who is destitute or living in extreme poverty, but rather someone who is struggling to make ends meet.
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.
