haa6 laan4下欄下栏
Definition
Extra income or perks outside of one's main salary, such as tips; or food leftovers from restaurant customers.
- extra income or perks outside of one's regular salary, such as tips
- leftovers of a meal left by restaurant customers
How it's used
Originally referring to the scraps or leftovers from a banquet that staff were allowed to take home, the term has evolved to describe any extra income or side earnings outside of a primary salary. It carries a nuance of being supplementary or secondary to one's main source of livelihood. While it is frequently associated with service industry tips, it can also refer to any informal or 'off the books' work performed to make extra money.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the literal meaning of a fence or barrier, as the term is almost exclusively used in a financial or employment context today. It is also not a formal term for a bonus like 花紅, which usually refers to a structured company performance reward.
Grammar color guide
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.
