gwai2 syu2鬼鼠
Jyutpinggwai2 syu2
Yalegwái syú
Definition
Sneaky, stealthy, furtive, or secretive in behavior.
colloquialdescriptionspeople
How it's used
This term is almost always used in its reduplicated form 鬼鬼鼠鼠 to describe someone behaving in a suspicious or furtive manner. It carries a strong negative connotation of someone hiding their intentions or doing something behind others' backs. It is rarely used as a simple adjective to describe a person's character, but rather to describe the specific act of sneaking around.
Examples
He is always acting sneaky, I wonder what he is up to.
Why are you sneaking around and peeking over there?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 鬼馬, which means mischievous or clever in a playful way. While 鬼馬 can be a compliment for someone being witty, 鬼鬼鼠鼠 is strictly used for suspicious or dishonest behavior.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
