po3 fai3破費破费

Jyutpingpo3 fai3

Yalepo fai

動詞Uncommon

Definition

To spend too much money, or to go to great expense, often said in appreciation of a host's generosity.

colloquialmoney

How it's used

Politeness is the core of this term, as it is almost exclusively used to express gratitude or apology when someone has spent money on you. It carries a sense of being embarrassed by the other person's generosity. It is rarely used to describe one's own reckless spending, which would be better expressed as 亂使錢.

Examples

nei5你maai5買gam3咁do1多je5嘢，zan1真hai6係hou2好po3破fai3費aa4呀。

You bought so many things, you really spent too much.

m4唔hou2好ji3意si3思，ling3令nei5你gam3咁po3破fai3費。

I am sorry to have caused you to spend so much.

Common phrases

ling3令nei5你po3破fai3費

to cause you to spend money

taai2太po3破fai3費

too generous / spent too much

Common mistake

Avoid using this to describe your own spending habits, as it is a social expression meant for acknowledging someone else's generosity. Using it for yourself can sound like you are fishing for compliments about your wealth or status.