haak3 sei2嚇死吓死
Jyutpinghaak3 sei2
Yalehaak séi
Definition
To scare someone to death; to terrify or scare the life out of someone.
colloquialemotion
How it's used
Used as a hyperbole to describe an intense reaction to shock or fear. It functions as a verb phrase that often takes an object, such as 嚇死我 or 嚇死人. It is frequently paired with 呀 or 㗎 to emphasize the speaker's genuine state of being startled.
Examples
You suddenly walked up to me, you really scared the life out of me!
Related words
Common mistake
Do not interpret this literally as causing death. It is purely an idiomatic expression for being extremely startled or frightened.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- 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.
