gwan2 syut3 kau4滾雪球滚雪球

Jyutpinggwan2 syut3 kau4

Yalegwán syut kàuh

Definition

To snowball; to build up rapidly like a rolling snowball.

colloquialdescriptions

How it's used

Used primarily to describe situations where a small initial problem or trend gains momentum and becomes increasingly difficult to control. It is frequently applied to financial contexts like debt or interest, but also works for social issues or interpersonal conflicts. The phrasing often includes the particle 咁 to create a simile, emphasizing the rapid and uncontrollable nature of the growth.

Examples

le1呢gin2件si6事hou2好ci5似gwan2滾syut3雪kau4球gam3咁，jyut6越gaau2搞jyut6越daai6大。

This matter is like a snowball effect, getting bigger and bigger.

zaai3債mou6務man6問tai4題gwan2滾syut3雪kau4球，nei5你dim2點joeng2樣cyu5處lei5理aa4呀？

The debt problem is snowballing, how are you going to handle it?

Common phrases

zaai3債mou6務gwan2滾syut3雪kau4球

debt snowballing

man6問tai4題gwan2滾syut3雪kau4球

problem snowballing

Common mistake

Avoid using this as a literal description of playing with snow, as it is almost exclusively used as a metaphor for compounding problems or trends. It is not a standard way to describe the physical act of rolling a snowball.