maang1 maang1 gan2掹掹緊掹掹紧
Jyutpingmaang1 maang1 gan2
Yalemāang māang gán
Definition
Barely enough; just scraping by, especially regarding money or time.
colloquialmoney
How it's used
Describes a state of extreme financial scarcity where one has just enough to survive or cover immediate costs. It carries a sense of urgency and anxiety, often used when someone is living paycheck to paycheck or barely scraping by. It can also be used metaphorically for time, such as when a deadline is extremely close.
Examples
Expenses are really high this month, I'm really on a tight budget.
How much money do you have left? Are you struggling to make ends meet?
Related words
Common phrases
expenses are on a shoestring
living on a tight budget
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the adjective 緊, which simply means tight or busy. The reduplication 掹掹 is essential to convey the specific meaning of being financially strapped or barely making it.
Grammar color guide
Noun
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Adjective
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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).
