giu6 coeng4 goek3撬牆腳撬墙脚
Jyutpinggiu6 coeng4 goek3
Yalegiuh chèuhng geuk
Definition
To steal someone's lover; to lure someone away from their partner.
colloquialpeopleemotion
How it's used
Literally meaning to pry at the foot of a wall, this idiom implies undermining the foundation of someone else's relationship. It is almost exclusively used in a negative or accusatory manner to describe someone acting as a homewrecker or romantic rival. While it can apply to business contexts where one poaches staff or clients from a competitor, it is most frequently heard in discussions about messy love lives.
Examples
He actually wants to steal someone's partner, that is really low.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with simply dating someone who is single, as the term specifically requires that the person being pursued is already in an established relationship with someone else.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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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.
