mou4 liu4 laai6無聊賴无聊赖
Jyutpingmou4 liu4 laai6
Yalemòuh lìuh laaih
Definition
To feel utterly bored or spiritually empty; to lack any emotional or spiritual support.
colloquialemotiondescriptions
How it's used
Emphasizes a sense of aimlessness or lack of purpose beyond simple boredom. It often describes a state of being idle or listless when one has nothing meaningful to occupy their time or mind. The term carries a slightly more literary or descriptive weight than the common 悶.
Examples
Why are you sitting there looking so bored?
Related words
Common phrases
to feel bored and aimless
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe a boring object or activity, as it specifically refers to the internal state of a person feeling listless or aimless. Use 悶 for things that are boring.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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Classifier
Particle
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Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
