sai1 lei6犀利
Jyutpingsai1 lei6
Yalesāi leih
Definition
Sharp, formidable, or impressive; amazing, terrific, and outstanding.
colloquialdescriptionspeople
How it's used
Carries a strong sense of admiration or awe, often used to praise someone's skill or a surprising achievement. It is extremely versatile and can describe anything from a person's intelligence to a difficult situation. While it can be used sarcastically to mean someone is being unreasonable or difficult, the context usually makes this clear.
Examples
You can speak so many languages, you are truly amazing!
He is so good at playing ball, how can I beat him?
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using it in formal writing, as it is strictly a colloquial term. When used to describe a person being difficult or aggressive, it can sound confrontational rather than complimentary, so pay attention to the tone of voice.
Grammar color guide
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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.
