sap6 waak6 dou1 mei6 jau5 jat1 pit3十劃都未有一撇十画都未有一撇
Jyutpingsap6 waak6 dou1 mei6 jau5 jat1 pit3
Yalesahp waahk dōu meih yáuh yāt pit
Definition
Still a long way to go; nothing has been finalized or even started yet.
colloquialdaily actionsother
How it's used
This idiom is used to describe a situation where a project or plan is in its absolute infancy, with no concrete progress made. It conveys a sense of skepticism or caution, often used to temper someone's premature excitement or over-optimism. The imagery refers to the character 永, which requires ten strokes to write, implying that even the very first stroke has not yet been made.
Examples
Nothing has even started yet, don't go telling people about it so soon.
Our plan hasn't even begun to take shape, how are we supposed to start working on it?
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use this to mean a task is difficult, but it specifically refers to a lack of progress or a lack of a clear starting point rather than the level of difficulty.
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.
