san1 sau2 bat1 gin3 ng5 zi2伸手不見五指伸手不见五指

Jyutpingsan1 sau2 bat1 gin3 ng5 zi2

Yalesān sáu bāt gin ńgh jí

語句

Definition

Pitch-black; extremely dark with little to no light, such that one cannot see their own outstretched fingers.

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How it's used

This idiom is used to vividly describe extreme darkness, often in outdoor settings or power outages. It functions as an adjective phrase to emphasize the lack of visibility rather than just saying it is dark. Native speakers often add the intensifier 黑到 before it to heighten the dramatic effect.

Examples

gaan3間fong2房haak1黑dou3到san1伸sau2手bat1不gin3見ng5五zi2指，haak3嚇sei2死ngo5我aa4呀。

The room was pitch-black, it scared me to death.

nei5你hai2喺go2嗰dou6度san1伸sau2手bat1不gin3見ng5五zi2指，dim2點joeng2樣haang4行lou6路aa4呀？

How can you walk when it is so pitch-black over there?

Common phrases

haak1黑dou3到san1伸sau2手bat1不gin3見ng5五zi2指

pitch-black

Common mistake

Do not use this to describe metaphorical darkness or lack of knowledge, as it strictly refers to physical light conditions. It is also quite descriptive, so using it for a slightly dim room would sound like an exaggeration.