gwai2 gwai2 seoi6 seoi6鬼鬼祟祟

Jyutpinggwai2 gwai2 seoi6 seoi6

Yalegwái gwái seuih seuih

Rare

Definition

Furtive, sneaky, or stealthy in manner.

colloquialdescriptionspeople

How it's used

This idiom carries a strong negative connotation of suspicion and lack of transparency. It is frequently used to describe someone who is hiding something or acting in a way that suggests they have bad intentions. The reduplication of the characters emphasizes the repetitive, nervous, or shifty nature of the person's behavior.

Examples

keoi5佢seng4成jat6日gwai2鬼gwai2鬼syu2祟syu2祟，m4唔zi1知soeng2想zou6做me1咩le1呢？

He is always acting sneaky, I wonder what he is up to?

nei5你zou6做me1咩gwai2鬼gwai2鬼syu2祟syu2祟hai2喺dou6度tau1偷tai2睇jan4人aa4呀？

Why are you acting all furtive and peeking at people?

Common phrases

seng4成jat6日gwai2鬼gwai2鬼syu2祟syu2祟

always acting sneaky

gwai2鬼gwai2鬼syu2祟syu2祟gam3咁joeng2樣

in a sneaky manner

Common mistake

Learners sometimes confuse this with the word 鬼鼠, which is a common variant. While 鬼鬼祟祟 is the standard four character idiom, you might hear native speakers use 鬼鬼鼠鼠 in casual speech, but it is technically a non standard spelling of the same concept.