paau3 tong1泡湯泡汤
Jyutpingpaau3 tong1
Yalepaau tōng
Definition
To bathe in a hot spring, or to fall through, go down the drain, or be ruined.
- to bathe in a hot spring
- figurativeto fall through; to go down the drain; to be ruined or wasted
colloquialdaily actionsother
How it's used
Primarily used in a metaphorical sense to describe plans, projects, or efforts that fail or come to nothing. While it can literally mean soaking in a hot spring, this usage is less common in daily Cantonese compared to the figurative meaning of something being aborted or cancelled.
Examples
I originally planned to go on a trip, but it ended up falling through.
Has your plan already been ruined?
Related words
Common phrases
plans fall through
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 浸溫泉, which is the standard way to talk about hot springs. Using 泡湯 to describe the physical act of bathing in a hot spring can sound like a direct translation from Mandarin and may not be immediately understood in a casual Hong Kong context.
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.
