sap1 caai4濕柴湿柴
Jyutpingsap1 caai4
Yalesāp chàaih
Definition
Useless items, unsaleable goods, or money of denominations so small as to be practically worthless.
colloquialmoneydescriptions
How it's used
Literally meaning wet firewood, this term describes things that are difficult to ignite and therefore functionally useless. It is frequently used to dismiss low value items or trivial amounts of money that are more trouble than they are worth to manage. You will often hear it used in a dismissive tone when someone is trying to offload clutter or petty cash.
Examples
Why are you carrying around all those useless small coins?
Related words
Common phrases
a pile of junk
Common mistake
Do not use this to describe something that is literally wet, as the metaphorical meaning is almost exclusively intended. It is also not used for people, unlike some other slang terms for uselessness.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
