maai4 mut6埋沒埋没
Jyutpingmaai4 mut6
Yalemàaih muht
Definition
To bury, or figuratively, to stifle and waste talent.
- to bury underground
- figurativeto stifle, neglect, or waste talent
neutralpeopledescriptions
How it's used
Focuses on the loss of potential or value, often used when someone with great ability is stuck in a position where they cannot shine. While it literally means to bury something in the ground, its figurative use is much more common in daily life to describe wasted human resources or neglected skills.
Examples
He is so talented, please do not stifle his potential.
Do you think this opportunity will bury your talent?
Related words
Common phrases
to stifle talent
to stifle one's conscience
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 埋單, which means to settle a bill. Learners sometimes mistakenly use 埋沒 when they simply mean to hide or put something away, but it specifically implies a negative, wasteful loss of value.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
