mou4 nang4無能无能
Jyutpingmou4 nang4
Yalemòuh nàhng
Definition
Incompetent, useless, or powerless.
colloquialpeopledescriptions
How it's used
Carries a strong sense of contempt or frustration, often used to criticize someone in a position of authority who fails to perform their duties. While it describes a lack of ability, it is harsher than simply saying someone is not good at a task. It implies a fundamental failure to achieve results or provide necessary help.
Examples
He is really useless, he cannot do anything well.
Do you think this supervisor is very incompetent?
Related words
Common phrases
helpless; unable to do anything about it
an incompetent person
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe yourself or a friend in a casual, self-deprecating way, as it sounds quite severe and insulting. Use 冇用 instead for general situations where something or someone is ineffective or useless.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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.
