joeng1 kap6 ci4 jyu4殃及池魚殃及池鱼
Jyutpingjoeng1 kap6 ci4 jyu4
Yaleyēung kahp chìh yùh
Definition
To suffer collateral damage; to be inadvertently implicated or harmed by a disaster that affects connected parties.
writtenpeopleother
How it's used
Used to describe situations where someone suffers as an indirect consequence of another person's actions or a larger conflict. It implies a sense of unfairness or being an innocent bystander who gets caught in the fallout. While the full idiom includes the imagery of a city gate fire, the four-character version is commonly used on its own to describe collateral damage.
Examples
They are fighting, why do you have to drag me into it?
The company laid off staff, and even innocent employees like me were caught in the crossfire.
Related words
Common phrases
innocently caught in the crossfire
Common mistake
Do not use this to describe direct consequences or intended punishment. It specifically refers to being an innocent third party who is negatively affected by an event that was not originally aimed at them.
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.
