ngo6 sei2 lou5 po4 wan1 cau3 uk1餓死老婆瘟臭屋饿死老婆瘟臭屋
Jyutpingngo6 sei2 lou5 po4 wan1 cau3 uk1
Yalengoh séi lóuh pòh wān chau ūk
Definition
To be so poor or useless that one is unable to earn enough money to support and feed one's wife.
colloquialpeoplemoney
How it's used
This idiom carries a strong sense of social shame and personal failure regarding the traditional role of a breadwinner. It is used to criticize someone who is chronically lazy or incapable of holding down a job. The imagery of the wife starving and the house smelling of decay emphasizes the total collapse of a household's stability.
Examples
He never does any work, he really cannot even support his own wife.
Related words
Common phrases
Common mistake
Do not use this phrase to describe someone who is simply poor due to bad luck or external circumstances. It specifically targets those whose poverty is perceived as a result of their own laziness or lack of responsibility.
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.
