lou5 gung1 put3 sin3老公撥扇老公拨扇
Jyutpinglou5 gung1 put3 sin3
Yalelóuh gūng put sin
Definition
A pun meaning miserable or wretched, playing on "the husband fans" to imply "the wife feels cool".
colloquialpeopleother
How it's used
This is a classic Cantonese riddle phrase where the punchline is implied rather than stated. The humor relies on the homophone between 妻, meaning wife, and 淒, meaning miserable. It is a witty way to express sympathy or describe a pathetic situation without using direct adjectives.
Examples
He never has any money to spend, it is truly miserable.
Related words
Common phrases
The husband fans, miserable
Common mistake
Learners often struggle to understand that the phrase is incomplete without the listener knowing the hidden punchline. Using it in formal writing or with people unfamiliar with Cantonese wordplay will likely cause confusion.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
