laai1 soeng5 bou2 haa6拉上補下拉上补下
Jyutpinglaai1 soeng5 bou2 haa6
Yalelāai séuhng bóu hah
Definition
On average; taking things together to make up for deficits with surpluses.
colloquialmoneywork
How it's used
Focuses on the concept of balancing out gains and losses to find a net result. It is frequently used in financial contexts or when discussing performance over a period where some days or items were successful while others were not. The phrase implies a sense of relief that the final outcome is acceptable despite fluctuations.
Examples
Business has been average over these few months, but at least I didn't lose money.
Do you think there is still any profit after averaging out the figures for this project?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with simply calculating an average, as it specifically implies using the surplus from one area to cover the deficit in another. It is not used for simple arithmetic averages like calculating the mean of a set of numbers.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
