sang1 gai3生計生计
Jyutpingsang1 gai3
Yalesāng gai
Definition
Livelihood, living, or one's life circumstances.
neutralworkmoney
How it's used
Focuses specifically on the economic aspect of survival rather than the general act of living. It is a formal term often found in news reports or discussions about economic hardship, making it sound slightly more serious than everyday conversational vocabulary.
Examples
To make a living, he has to work two jobs every day.
This illness caused him to lose his livelihood, and life is very difficult.
Related words
Common phrases
to maintain one's livelihood
to lose one's source of income
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe your daily lifestyle or activities, as it strictly refers to the means of earning money to survive.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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).
