maai5 daai6 sai3買大細买大细
Jyutpingmaai5 daai6 sai3
Yalemáaih daaih sai
Definition
To play sic bo (tai-sai), a dice gambling game; to bet on big or small.
colloquialother
How it's used
Beyond the literal gambling context, the phrase is frequently used metaphorically to describe high-stakes situations where the outcome is essentially a gamble. It carries a sense of unpredictability and risk, similar to how one might describe a volatile investment or a blind decision. When used this way, it emphasizes the lack of control the person has over the final result.
Examples
He goes to the casino to play sic bo all the time and has lost a lot of money.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with general gambling terms like 賭錢, but 買大細 specifically refers to the dice game. Do not use it to describe card games or other forms of betting.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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).
