maa5 dou3 gung1 sing4馬到功成马到功成
Jyutpingmaa5 dou3 gung1 sing4
Yalemáh dou gūng sìhng
Definition
To achieve instant success; to succeed immediately upon arrival.
neutralother
How it's used
Used primarily as a formal or semi-formal blessing during festivals like Lunar New Year or before someone starts a new venture. It carries a sense of immediate, swift victory, drawing on the imagery of a horse arriving at its destination. You will rarely hear this in casual, everyday conversation between friends unless it is specifically to offer well wishes.
Examples
Wishing you success and booming business in the new year.
He is going for an interview today, I hope he succeeds.
Related words
Common phrases
Wish you success
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.
