lo2 lei4 san1 fu2攞嚟辛苦

Jyutpinglo2 lei4 san1 fu2

Yaleló lèih sān fú

Definition

To bring trouble upon oneself; to create unnecessary work or hardship for oneself.

colloquialdaily actionsemotion

How it's used

This phrase is a classic example of how Cantonese speakers express disapproval of someone's self-imposed burden. It functions as a predicate or a comment on an action, often implying that the person is being foolish or short-sighted. It carries a slightly judgmental but informal tone, frequently used between friends or family members to point out that a task is not worth the effort.

Examples

nei5你maai5買gam3咁do1多je5嘢faan1返uk1屋kei2企，zan1真hai6係lo2攞lei4嚟san1辛fu2苦aa4呀。

You bought so much stuff home, you're really just asking for trouble.

zou6做mat1乜jiu3要zi6自gei2己zing2整nei4呢joeng6樣je5嘢，m4唔hai6係lo2攞lei4嚟san1辛fu2苦me1咩？

Why do you have to make this yourself? Isn't that just creating unnecessary work?

Common phrases

zan1真hai6係lo2攞lei4嚟san1辛fu2苦

really just asking for trouble

lo2攞lei4嚟san1辛fu2苦zi6自gei2己

making things hard for oneself

Common mistake

Learners often confuse this with simply saying something is difficult, but it specifically implies that the difficulty is entirely avoidable and self-inflicted. Using it to describe a situation that is genuinely unavoidable or externally imposed will sound confusing or insensitive.