hat1 mai5乞米
Jyutpinghat1 mai5
Yalehāt máih
Definition
To beg for food; to be extremely poor.
colloquialmoneypeople
How it's used
Used metaphorically to describe someone who has hit rock bottom financially or is on the verge of bankruptcy. It carries a strong sense of pity or judgment depending on the context. While it literally refers to begging for rice, it is almost exclusively used to describe the state of being broke rather than the act of begging itself.
Examples
If you don't start working, you'll be begging for food sooner or later.
He spends money recklessly all the time, ending up having to beg for food.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use this to describe someone who is actually homeless and begging on the street, as that is usually referred to as 乞兒. This term is reserved for describing a person's financial downfall or extreme poverty.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
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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.
