king1 gaa1 dong6 caan2傾家蕩產倾家荡产
Jyutpingking1 gaa1 dong6 caan2
Yalekīng gā dohng cháan
Definition
To use up all of one's family fortune; to ruin oneself financially.
colloquialmoney
How it's used
This idiom carries a heavy, serious tone and is typically reserved for extreme financial ruin caused by vices like gambling or reckless speculation. It implies not just a loss of wealth, but the total collapse of a family's economic stability and future. It is rarely used to describe simple bankruptcy or business failure, which are usually expressed with more neutral terms.
Examples
He gambled away his entire family fortune, it is really miserable.
Stop investing, if you keep losing you will lose everything you have.
Related words
Common phrases
to gamble away one's entire family fortune
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use this to describe any kind of financial loss, but it is too dramatic for everyday situations like losing a wallet or a small business deficit. Reserve it for life-altering financial disasters.
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.
