hou2 seoi1 m4 seoi1好衰唔衰
Jyutpinghou2 seoi1 m4 seoi1
Yalehóu sēui m̀h sēui
Definition
As bad luck would have it; unfortunately, of all the possibilities, the worst possible one happened.
colloquialemotionother
How it's used
Focuses on the irony of bad luck, specifically highlighting when the most inconvenient outcome occurs at the worst possible moment. It acts as an adverbial phrase to express frustration or disbelief at a situation. It is commonly used to introduce a negative event that feels almost orchestrated by fate.
Examples
Of all the times, the car had to break down right now.
Why on earth did you go and provoke that troublemaker?
Related words
Common phrases
of all the things, it just had to be
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with simply saying something is bad. It specifically describes the timing or the selection of an event, implying that out of many possibilities, the worst one was chosen by fate.
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.
