gu3 dak1 tau4 lai4 goek3 faan2 gan1顧得頭嚟腳反筋顾得头嚟脚反筋

Jyutpinggu3 dak1 tau4 lai4 goek3 faan2 gan1

Yalegu dāk tàuh làih geuk fáan gān

Definition

To attend to one thing and lose another; to pay attention to one aspect and overlook another.

colloquialdaily actionsdescriptions

How it's used

This idiom vividly describes the struggle of juggling multiple responsibilities where focusing on one area inevitably causes another to fall apart. It is often used when someone is overwhelmed by competing demands like work, family, or personal health. The imagery of trying to fix the head while the feet cramp up perfectly captures the frustration of being unable to maintain balance.

Examples

jau6又jiu1要faan1返gung1工jau6又jiu1要cau3湊zai2仔，zan1真hai6係gu3顧dak1得tau4頭lai4嚟goek3腳faan1反gan1筋。

I have to work and take care of the kids, I'm really spread too thin.

nei5你gam3咁do1多je5嘢zou6做，dim2點joeng2樣gu3顧dak1得tau4頭lai4嚟goek3腳faan1反gan1筋aa1呀？

You have so much to do, how can you manage everything without neglecting something?

Common phrases

mong4忙dou3到gu3顧dak1得tau4頭lai4嚟goek3腳faan1反gan1筋

so busy that one is neglecting everything else

Common mistake

Do not confuse this with 顧此失彼, which is a more formal, literary idiom. 顧得頭嚟腳反筋 is strictly colloquial and carries a much stronger sense of physical and mental exhaustion.