pin4 ji4便宜

Jyutpingpin4 ji4

Yalepìhn yìh

形容詞Common

Definition

An advantage or gain, usually carrying a negative connotation related to greed or exploitation.

colloquialpeopleemotion

How it's used

Unlike the Mandarin usage where this word primarily refers to low prices, in Cantonese it almost exclusively refers to gaining an unfair advantage or exploiting someone. It carries a strong negative connotation of selfishness or greed. When someone is described as trying to get this, it implies they are looking for a free ride or a shortcut at someone else's expense.

Examples

nei5你mai1咪nam2諗zyu6住lo2攞jan4人pin4便ji2宜aa4呀。

Don't you even think about taking advantage of others.

keoi5佢seng4成jat6日soeng2想wan2搵jan4人pin4便ji2宜，hou2好hat1乞jan4人zang1憎。

He always wants to take advantage of people, it's so annoying.

Common phrases

lo2攞jan4人pin4便ji2宜

to take advantage of someone

wan2搵pin4便ji2宜

to seek an unfair advantage

Common mistake

Learners often confuse this with the Mandarin meaning of cheap or inexpensive. In Cantonese, the word for cheap is 平, so using this to describe a low price will cause confusion.