mou4 ho2 gau3 joek6無可救藥无可救药
Jyutpingmou4 ho2 gau3 joek6
Yalemòuh hó gau yeuhk
Definition
Incurable or hopeless, describing a person's unchangeable character or an unsalvageable situation.
- (of a person) incurable; hopeless; beyond redemption
- (of a situation) hopeless; irremediable; past recovery
colloquialpeopledescriptions
How it's used
This idiom carries a strong sense of exasperation or finality, often used to describe someone whose bad habits or personality traits are deeply ingrained. While it can apply to situations, it is most frequently directed at people to express that they are beyond reasoning or improvement. It is significantly more formal and dramatic than the common spoken phrase 冇得救.
Examples
This person is truly hopeless.
Do you think he is beyond help?
Related words
Common phrases
simply hopeless
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use this to describe a physical illness, but it is almost exclusively used for personality flaws, bad behaviors, or dire, irreversible situations. For a medical condition, use 冇得醫 instead.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
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Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
