oi3 uk1 kap6 wu1愛屋及烏爱屋及乌
Definition
To love someone and, by extension, love and care for everything associated with them.
How it's used
This idiom describes a psychological extension of affection where one's positive feelings for a person spill over to their surroundings, belongings, or social circle. It is frequently used to explain why someone might tolerate or even enjoy things they would otherwise dislike, simply because those things are associated with a loved one. Unlike some idioms that feel stiff or purely literary, this is commonly used in casual conversation to describe romantic or deep platonic devotion.
Examples
Related words
Common phrases
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a literal description of liking birds or houses. It is strictly a metaphorical expression for human relationships and should not be used to describe literal preferences for property or animals.
Grammar color guide
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).
