gon2 zeon6 saat3 zyut6趕盡殺絕赶尽杀绝
Definition
To ruthlessly exterminate or wipe out completely, leaving no room for survival.
How it's used
This idiom carries a heavy, aggressive tone, often implying a lack of moral restraint or a desire to leave an opponent with zero chance of recovery. It is frequently used to criticize someone for being overly competitive or vindictive in professional or personal conflicts. While it can describe literal destruction, it is more commonly applied to metaphorical scenarios like business competition or interpersonal disputes.
Examples
Related words
Common phrases
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use this to mean simply 'to be busy' or 'to rush', confusing it with the character 趕 in phrases like 趕時間. Remember that this is a four-character idiom specifically about total elimination, not about rushing to finish a task.
Grammar color guide
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
