hung1 waa6空話空话
Jyutpinghung1 waa6
Yalehūng wah
Definition
Empty talk, idle words, or unfulfilled promises with no practical action taken.
colloquialcommunicationpeople
How it's used
Focuses specifically on the lack of follow through or substance behind someone's speech. It is often used to criticize politicians or colleagues who make grand claims without any intention of executing them. The term carries a dismissive tone, implying that the speaker is wasting time with meaningless noise.
Examples
What is the point of you saying all these empty words?
He is always just making empty promises and never does anything.
Related words
Common phrases
to make empty promises
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 廢話, which refers to nonsense or rubbish that is annoying to hear. While 廢話 can be empty, 空話 specifically highlights the failure to match words with actions.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
