huk1 huk1 tai4 tai4哭哭啼啼
Jyutpinghuk1 huk1 tai4 tai4
Yalehūk hūk tàih tàih
Definition
To weep and wail; to cry uncontrollably until one is gasping for breath.
colloquialemotionpeople
How it's used
This idiom carries a strong sense of annoyance or impatience from the speaker. It is rarely used to describe genuine, sympathetic sorrow, but rather to criticize someone for being overly dramatic or making a scene. It often implies that the person is being bothersome or weak by continuing to cry for an extended period.
Examples
Why are you always weeping and wailing here?
Related words
Common phrases
always weeping and wailing
Common mistake
Do not use this to describe a situation where someone is simply sad or shedding tears quietly. It specifically refers to loud, incessant, or performative crying that disrupts others.
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).
