nou5 sau1 sing4 nou6惱羞成怒恼羞成怒

Jyutpingnou5 sau1 sing4 nou6

Yalenóuh sāu sìhng nouh

語句

Definition

To fly into a rage from shame; to become angry because of embarrassment or losing face.

colloquialemotion

How it's used

This idiom describes a specific psychological progression where embarrassment or being proven wrong triggers an aggressive defensive reaction. It is frequently used to call out someone who is lashing out because they cannot handle the truth or a loss of face. Unlike simple anger, it implies the person is actually feeling vulnerable or guilty underneath their outburst.

Examples

keoi5佢bei2俾jan4人tek3踢baau3爆zo2咗zi1之hau6後，nou5惱sau1羞sing4成nou6怒faat3發pei4脾hei3氣。

After he was exposed, he flew into a rage out of shame.

nei5你sai2使m4唔sai2使nou5惱sau1羞sing4成nou6怒aa4呀？gong2講haa5下siu3笑ze1啫。

Do you have to get so angry? I was just joking.

Common phrases

nou5惱sau1羞sing4成nou6怒faat3發pei4脾hei3氣

to fly into a rage and lose one's temper out of shame

Common mistake

Learners often mistake this for general anger, but it specifically requires the element of shame or embarrassment as the catalyst. Using it to describe someone who is just naturally short-tempered or annoyed by a minor inconvenience is incorrect.