jin6 ngaan5 bou3現眼報现眼报
Jyutpingjin6 ngaan5 bou3
Yaleyihn ngáahn bou
Definition
Immediate karma, punishment, or retribution for doing bad deeds.
colloquialemotionother
How it's used
Often used with a sense of schadenfreude, this term highlights the speed and visibility of the consequence. It is frequently employed when someone suffers a misfortune that directly mirrors the harm they previously inflicted on others. Unlike general concepts of karma, it specifically emphasizes that the punishment is both swift and obvious to onlookers.
Examples
He always cheated people, now he's been arrested, it's truly immediate karma.
Don't do bad things, be careful of immediate retribution.
Related words
Common phrases
truly immediate karma
beware of immediate retribution
Common mistake
Do not use this to describe long term or delayed consequences, as the term specifically implies that the retribution happens almost immediately after the wrongdoing. It is also strictly reserved for negative actions, so it cannot be used to describe positive rewards or good luck.
Grammar color guide
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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.
