keoi5 gaan3 sik1 fei1拒諫飾非拒谏饰非
Jyutpingkeoi5 gaan3 sik1 fei1
Yalekéuih gaan sīk fēi
Definition
To reject advice and cover up one's errors or faults.
writtenpeopleother
How it's used
This is a formal idiom that carries a strong sense of disapproval regarding someone's stubbornness and dishonesty. It is rarely used in casual conversation and is more common in written critiques, news reports, or when describing a person in a position of power who refuses to be corrected. Using it in everyday speech can make you sound overly dramatic or like you are reading from a textbook.
Examples
He always refuses advice and covers up his mistakes, who would dare tell him the truth?
Related words
Common phrases
an attitude of refusing advice and covering up mistakes
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a simple way to say someone is stubborn, but it specifically implies a two-part failure: rejecting input and then actively trying to hide the resulting errors. It is not used for someone who is simply quiet or indecisive.
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.
