haa1 mou1蝦毛虾毛
Jyutpinghaa1 mou1
Yalehā mōu
Definition
A tiny shrimp, or figuratively, an unimportant person of low social standing.
- tiny shrimp
- figurativean unimportant, ordinary person of low social status
colloquialfoodpeople
How it's used
Refers primarily to the tiny, often dried shrimp used in cooking, but carries a strong metaphorical sense of someone insignificant or powerless. Using this to describe a person is inherently condescending and dismissive. It highlights a stark power imbalance between the speaker and the person being described.
Measure word
zek3隻jekExamples
He is just a nobody in the company.
Related words
Common phrases
dried tiny shrimp
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 蝦子, which specifically refers to shrimp roe used as a seasoning. Using 蝦毛 to refer to shrimp roe will confuse native speakers as it sounds like you are talking about the tiny shrimp themselves or calling someone a nobody.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
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Classifier
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Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
