sam1 ziu1心焦

Jyutpingsam1 ziu1

Yalesām jīu

形容詞

Definition

Anxious, worried, or impatient.

colloquialemotion

How it's used

Expresses a deeper, more internal sense of worry or distress compared to the more common and immediate feeling of being rushed. While often interchangeable with 心急, it carries a slightly more literary or formal weight in spoken Cantonese. It is frequently used to describe a state of being troubled by a situation that one cannot immediately resolve.

Examples

gin3見dou2到go3個zai2仔zung6仲mei6未faan1返uk1屋kei2企，keoi5佢zan1真hai6係hou2好sam1心ziu1焦。

Seeing that her son hasn't come home yet, she is really anxious.

nei5你m4唔hou2好gam3咁sam1心ziu1焦laa1啦，gin2件si6事maan6慢maan2慢cyu5處lei5理zau6就dak1得。

Don't be so anxious, just handle the matter slowly and it will be fine.

Common phrases

sam1心ziu1焦jyu4如fan4焚

burning with anxiety

Common mistake

Learners often confuse this with 心急, which is the standard term for feeling impatient or in a rush. Using 心焦 in casual, everyday situations like waiting for a bus can sound overly dramatic or slightly unnatural.