hon4 syun1寒酸
Jyutpinghon4 syun1
Yalehòhn syūn
Definition
Shabby and ragged in appearance, or stingy and miserly in personality.
- shabby, ragged, or unseemly in dress or appearance
- stingy, miserly, or down and out
colloquialdescriptionspeople
How it's used
Focuses on the lack of generosity or the poor quality of appearance, often implying a sense of social embarrassment. While it can describe worn-out clothing, it is frequently used to criticize someone for being cheap or stingy in situations where they should be more generous, such as hosting guests or giving gifts.
Examples
His clothes look really shabby, it seems like he hasn't bought new ones in a long time.
Don't be so stingy when treating people to dinner, order a few more dishes.
Related words
Common phrases
shabbily dressed
everything is so stingy/shabby
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 窮, which simply means poor. 寒酸 carries a specific judgment about the person's lack of style or their miserly behavior, rather than just their financial status.
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.
