mou5 zau2 zaan2冇走趲冇走趱
Jyutpingmou5 zau2 zaan2
Yalemóuh jáu jáan
Definition
No room for negotiation or change; set in stone; inflexible.
colloquialdescriptions
How it's used
Originating from the terminology of traditional Chinese medicine and herbal shops, this term refers to the lack of space or margin for adjustment. It is now widely used in daily life to describe people who are rigid, stubborn, or situations that offer no alternative options. It carries a slightly critical tone when used to describe someone's personality.
Examples
He is very inflexible and refuses to listen to others.
Is there still any room for flexibility in this matter?
Related words
Common phrases
no room for flexibility
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a physical description of movement, but it is almost exclusively used metaphorically to describe a lack of negotiation room or mental rigidity.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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.
