san4 ging1 seoi1 joek6神經衰弱神经衰弱
Jyutpingsan4 ging1 seoi1 joek6
Yalesàhn gīng sēui yeuhk
Definition
Neurasthenia; nervous exhaustion or a mental breakdown.
colloquialhealthemotion
How it's used
Often used colloquially to describe someone who is extremely stressed, irritable, or unable to sleep due to mental fatigue. While it carries a clinical connotation, it is frequently employed in everyday speech to exaggerate a state of being overwhelmed or burnt out. It serves as a common way to express that someone is at their breaking point without necessarily implying a formal psychiatric diagnosis.
Examples
They have been under so much pressure lately that they are having a nervous breakdown.
Related words
Common phrases
to cause a nervous breakdown
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe someone who is acting silly or crazy, as it specifically refers to exhaustion and stress rather than erratic behavior or mental illness in a general sense.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
