sai2 tung4 ngan4 gaap3 daai6 seng1使銅銀夾大聲使铜银夹大声
Definition
To try to bully or bluff one's way out of a situation by shouting and acting aggressively despite being in the wrong.
How it's used
This idiom describes a specific type of social aggression where someone compensates for their lack of a valid argument by raising their voice. It implies a sense of hypocrisy, as the person is attempting to intimidate others to cover up their own mistakes or lack of logic. It is most commonly used to criticize someone who is being unreasonable and loud simultaneously.
Examples
Related words
Common phrases
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a simple description of someone being loud, but the phrase specifically requires the context of the person being in the wrong. Using it to describe someone who is just naturally boisterous or loud in a positive setting would be incorrect.
Grammar color guide
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.
