mok6 ming4 kei4 miu6莫名其妙
Jyutpingmok6 ming4 kei4 miu6
Yalemohk mìhng kèih miuh
Definition
Inexplicable, baffling, or impossible to understand.
colloquialdescriptionsemotion
How it's used
Often used to describe someone's sudden, bizarre behavior or an event that lacks a clear cause. It carries a strong sense of frustration or confusion from the speaker's perspective. While it is a standard idiom, it fits naturally into casual conversation when reacting to something illogical.
Examples
He got angry for no reason, it's really hard to deal with.
Why did he inexplicably not show up for work?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners sometimes use this to mean 'mysterious' in a positive or intriguing sense, but it almost always implies annoyance or bewilderment at something negative or nonsensical.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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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).
