saan2 sau2散手

Jyutpingsaan2 sau2

Yalesáan sáu

名詞Uncommon

Definition

Sanda or Chinese kickboxing, or figuratively, a special skill, trick, or technique.

sanda; Chinese kickboxing; a form of Chinese stand-up combat
figurativea special skill, trick, or technique

colloquialpeopledaily actions

How it's used

Beyond its literal meaning as a combat sport, this term is frequently used metaphorically to describe a person's unique skill set or secret weapon. It carries a sense of hidden capability that one can deploy when in a tight spot. When used in this figurative way, it is almost always paired with a quantifier like 兩道 or 兩下 to suggest a modest but effective level of proficiency.

Examples

keoi5佢jau5有loeng5兩dou6道saan2散sau2手，m4唔hou2好tai2睇siu2小keoi5佢。

He has a few tricks up his sleeve, don't underestimate him.

nei5你sai2使m4唔sai2使hok6學loeng5兩haa5下saan2散sau2手pong4傍san1身aa4呀？

Do you need to learn a few self-defense moves to protect yourself?

Common phrases

loeng5兩dou6道saan2散sau2手

a few special moves

loeng5兩haa5下saan2散sau2手

a couple of techniques

Common mistake

Do not confuse this with the Mandarin term 散手 which is often used in a purely martial arts context. In Cantonese, the figurative usage is very common, and using it to refer to actual professional kickboxing matches might sound slightly less precise than using 散打.