long4 bui3狼狽狼狈
Jyutpinglong4 bui3
Yalelòhng bui
Definition
Flustered, helpless, or in a messy situation when facing difficulties.
colloquialdescriptionsemotion
How it's used
Describes a state of being flustered, disheveled, or caught in a predicament where one loses composure. It often implies a physical appearance of being messy or overwhelmed, such as being soaked by rain or struggling with too many bags at once. Unlike the Mandarin usage which can sometimes imply a more abstract moral or political failure, the Cantonese usage is almost exclusively reserved for these immediate, tangible, and often slightly embarrassing situations.
Examples
It's raining hard and I don't have an umbrella, I'm really in a mess.
Why did you end up in such a helpless state?
Related words
Common phrases
very flustered or in a mess
to end up in a messy or helpless state
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with being simply tired or busy. It specifically requires a sense of being caught off guard or lacking the tools to handle a situation gracefully.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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Classifier
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Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
