haa6 paa4 heng1 heng1下爬輕輕下爬轻轻
Jyutpinghaa6 paa4 heng1 heng1
Yalehah pàh hēng hēng
Definition
To make promises casually or lightly without serious intention of keeping them.
colloquialpeoplecommunication
How it's used
This idiom specifically targets the act of giving a verbal commitment without any real intention or plan to follow through. It carries a strong sense of criticism, implying that the person is unreliable or lacks a sense of responsibility. It is most frequently used when someone breaks a promise or when a speaker wants to warn another person not to be too quick to commit.
Examples
Don't make promises lightly; you must follow through once you've agreed.
He always makes promises casually and just forgets about them afterwards.
Related words
Common phrases
Don't make empty promises
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with general dishonesty, but it is specifically about the lack of weight behind a promise. It is not used for lying about facts, only for empty commitments.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
