noi6 dau3內鬥内斗
Jyutpingnoi6 dau3
Yalenoih dau
Definition
Infighting; internal conflict or discord among members of a group.
colloquialworkpeople
How it's used
Focuses on the destructive nature of power struggles within an organization or group. It implies a sense of frustration from an observer who sees energy being wasted on petty politics rather than productive goals. While it can be used as a noun, it is very frequently used as a verb in spoken Cantonese by adding the aspect marker 緊 to indicate an ongoing state of conflict.
Examples
The internal fighting in the company is so intense that there is no efficiency all the time.
You executives are still infighting, who is going to handle this matter?
Related words
Common phrases
infighting very intensely
stop the infighting
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe simple arguments between two people, as it specifically refers to systemic or group level conflict where members of the same team or organization undermine one another.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
