lam4 tin1 gwong1 laai6 niu6臨天光賴尿临天光赖尿

Jyutpinglam4 tin1 gwong1 laai6 niu6

Yalelàhm tīn gwōng laaih niuh

Definition

To fail at the very last moment, especially after putting in a lot of effort.

slangslangdaily actions

How it's used

This idiom vividly describes the frustration of failing just before reaching a goal, literally translating to wetting the bed right at dawn. It is used exclusively to describe situations where success was almost guaranteed but lost due to a sudden error or lack of stamina. The imagery is humorous and slightly crude, making it unsuitable for formal business or academic settings.

Examples

caa1差siu2少siu2少zau6就gaau2搞dim6掂，dim2點zi1知lam4臨tin1天gwong1光laai6賴niu6尿aa4呀？

We were almost done, who knew we would fail at the very last second?

nei5你m4唔hou2好lam4臨tin1天gwong1光laai6賴niu6尿，jat1一ding6定jiu3要gin1堅ci4持dou3到dai2底。

Don't mess up at the final hurdle, you must persist until the end.

Common phrases

lam4臨tin1天gwong1光laai6賴niu6尿

to fail at the final hurdle

Common mistake

Do not use this to describe a simple mistake made early in a process. It specifically requires the context of being on the verge of completion, otherwise the metaphor loses its impact.