hak1 sam1黑心
Jyutpinghak1 sam1
Yalehāk sām
Definition
Cruel, evil, or malicious; lacking in conscience and wishing harm upon others.
colloquialemotionpeople
How it's used
Often used to describe business practices that prioritize profit over human safety or ethics, such as selling expired food or dangerous products. It carries a strong moral condemnation and implies a lack of basic human empathy.
Examples
He is so black-hearted in business, cheating all the elderly out of their money.
How can you be so cruel as to not even spare a child?
Related words
Common phrases
tainted or unsafe food products
unscrupulous businessman
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the literal black color of a heart. It is strictly a moral judgment and cannot be used to describe physical health conditions or literal anatomy.
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.
