haak1 gam1黑金
Jyutpinghaak1 gam1
Yalehāak gām
Definition
Black gold, referring either to petroleum or to dirty money in politics.
- black gold; oil or petroleum
- corruption money; political funds obtained through illegal means
colloquialmoneyother
How it's used
Primarily used in news and political commentary to describe illicit funds or bribery, particularly in the context of elections or government contracts. While it can literally refer to oil, the metaphorical meaning regarding corruption is far more common in daily discourse. It carries a strong negative connotation when used to describe money.
Examples
In this election, many candidates are involved in corruption money issues.
Oil prices change all the time, no wonder people call it black gold.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the literal color of gold or precious metals. It is strictly a metaphorical term for either oil or dirty money.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
