san3 kung4呻窮呻穷
Jyutpingsan3 kung4
Yalesan kùhng
Definition
To complain about being poor or having no money, while in reality spending more than others.
colloquialmoneypeople
How it's used
Focuses on the performative aspect of complaining about finances to avoid social obligations or to appear modest. It implies a sense of hypocrisy because the speaker is usually seen spending money on luxuries or leisure activities shortly after. It is commonly used to call out friends who are stingy or disingenuous about their financial status.
Examples
She clearly bought a designer bag, yet she's still complaining about being broke.
You always claim to be broke, but you go traveling; who would believe that?
Related words
Common phrases
always complaining about being broke
complaining about being broke very intensely
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with simply being poor, which is just 窮. 呻窮 specifically describes the act of vocalizing this state to others, often in a way that contradicts one's actual spending habits.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
