saai1 hei3嘥氣嘥气
Jyutpingsaai1 hei3
Yalesāai hei
Definition
To waste one's breath; to talk to no avail.
colloquialcommunicationemotion
How it's used
Focuses specifically on the futility of verbal communication rather than wasting physical energy or resources. It carries a strong sense of frustration or resignation, implying that the person being addressed is either stubborn or incapable of understanding. It is frequently used as a standalone exclamation to dismiss a conversation that has reached a dead end.
Examples
It is a total waste of breath to reason with him.
Are you not afraid of wasting your breath by continuing to argue with him?
Related words
Common phrases
really a waste of breath
not even worth talking about
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 嘥力, which refers to wasting physical effort or energy on a task. Using 嘥氣 implies the problem is specifically about the words being spoken or the advice being ignored.
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.
