haam4 coi3鹹菜咸菜
Jyutpinghaam4 coi3
Yalehàahm choi
Definition
Salted or pickled vegetables, or metaphorically, wrinkled clothes or paper.
- salted, pickled, or preserved vegetables
- figurativewrinkled or crumpled things, especially clothes or paper
colloquialfooddescriptions
How it's used
Beyond the literal meaning of preserved vegetables, this term is a common, slightly humorous way to describe something that has become severely wrinkled or crushed. It is frequently applied to clothing that has been left in a pile or paper that has been crumpled into a ball. Using this comparison implies that the item is in a neglected or messy state.
Measure word
tiu4條tìuhExamples
I am making salted vegetable and pork soup tonight, it tastes very fresh and sweet.
Related words
Common phrases
salted vegetable and pork slice soup
the shirt looks like a crumpled mess
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 鹹魚, which is a different food item and carries a completely different metaphorical meaning related to being lifeless or having no ambition.
Grammar color guide
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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).
