man1 bei2 tung4 ngau4 pei2蚊髀同牛脾

Jyutpingman1 bei2 tung4 ngau4 pei2

Yalemān béi tùhng ngàuh péi

Definition

A massive disparity between two things; incomparable, like a mosquito's thigh compared with a cow's thigh.

colloquialdescriptions

How it's used

This idiom highlights an extreme contrast in size, quality, or status. It is frequently used to humble oneself or to point out that a comparison is fundamentally unfair or illogical. Native speakers often shorten it to just 蚊髀牛脾 when the context is already clear.

Examples

nei5你fan6份jan4人gung1工tung4同keoi5佢bei2比，gaan2簡zik6直hai6係man1蚊髀bei2同tung4牛ngau4脾。

Comparing your salary to his is like comparing a mosquito's leg to a cow's thigh.

loeng5兩gaan1間gung1公si1司kwai1規mou4模caa1差gam3咁jyun5遠，gan1根bun2本hai6係man1蚊髀bei2同tung4牛ngau4脾。

The scale of the two companies is so different, it's basically like comparing a mosquito's leg to a cow's thigh.

Common phrases

gaan2簡zik6直hai6係man1蚊髀bei2同tung4牛ngau4脾

simply like a mosquito's leg and a cow's thigh

Common mistake

Be careful not to confuse the characters 髀 and 脾. While they are often written interchangeably in this idiom due to similar pronunciation, 髀 specifically refers to the thigh or leg, which makes the imagery of the mosquito versus the cow much more logical.