lou5 syu2 laai1 gwai1老鼠拉龜老鼠拉龟

Jyutpinglou5 syu2 laai1 gwai1

Yalelóuh syú lāai gwāi

語句Uncommon

Definition

At a loss of how to start; at one's wit's end; having no way to tackle a problem.

colloquialother

How it's used

This is a classic Cantonese xiehouyu, or two-part allegorical saying, where the first part describes a situation and the second part provides the meaning. It vividly captures the feeling of being completely stuck because the object of your effort has no handle or entry point. It is used when a task is so complex or poorly defined that you cannot find a starting point for action.

Examples

le1呢daan1單je5嘢zan1真hai6係lou5老syu2鼠laai1拉gwai1龜，jyun4完cyun4全m4唔zi1知dim2點gaau2搞。

This matter is a real dead end, I have no idea how to handle it.

nei5你giu3叫ngo5我se2寫le1呢pin1篇leon6論man2文，gaan2簡zik6直hai6係lou5老syu2鼠laai1拉gwai1龜aa4呀。

Asking me to write this essay is like asking a mouse to pull a tortoise; I don't know where to start.

Common phrases

zan1真hai6係lou5老syu2鼠laai1拉gwai1龜

really at a total loss

Common mistake

Learners often try to translate the literal imagery of the mouse and the tortoise directly into English, which will confuse listeners. Always use it as a complete set phrase rather than trying to describe the animals involved.