mou4 dou1 mei6 sang1 cai4毛都未生齊毛都未生齐
Jyutpingmou4 dou1 mei6 sang1 cai4
Yalemòuh dōu meih sāng chàih
Definition
Young, inexperienced, and immature; wet behind the ears.
colloquialpeopledescriptions
How it's used
Carries a strong sense of condescension or dismissal, often used by older people to belittle the opinions or actions of someone younger. It functions as a set phrase to emphasize that the person lacks both physical maturity and life experience. While it can be used to describe someone who is genuinely naive, it is also frequently used as a rhetorical device to invalidate someone's authority regardless of their actual competence.
Examples
He is still wet behind the ears, how would he know how to handle these complicated things?
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this phrase in professional or formal settings, as it is inherently insulting and dismissive. It is strictly for informal, often heated or sarcastic, interpersonal exchanges.
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.
