ping4 tau4 ban2 zuk1評頭品足评头品足
Jyutpingping4 tau4 ban2 zuk1
Yalepìhng tàuh bán jūk
Definition
To make frivolous or hypercritical remarks about someone's appearance or actions.
- archaicto judge or comment on a woman's appearance and figure
- figurativeto find fault with or nitpick people and things
colloquialpeopledescriptions
How it's used
Originally, this idiom focused specifically on judging a woman's physical appearance or grooming. Nowadays, it has broadened to cover any situation where someone is being overly critical or nitpicky about another person's behavior, choices, or work. It carries a strong negative connotation of being meddlesome and judgmental.
Examples
Stop making frivolous remarks about people behind their backs all the time.
They love to nitpick and judge people's appearance, it is really annoying.
Related words
Common phrases
fond of making frivolous remarks
to judge someone's appearance or behavior
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a neutral way to say 'comment' or 'evaluate'. It is strictly used to criticize or gossip, so avoid using it in professional settings when you actually mean to provide constructive feedback.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
