sap6 gam1 bat1 mui6拾金不昧
Jyutpingsap6 gam1 bat1 mui6
Yalesahp gām bāt muih
Definition
To not pocket money or valuables that someone else has left behind or lost.
writtenpeople
How it's used
This is a formal idiom rooted in classical Chinese, often used in news reports or formal commendations to praise someone's integrity. While everyone understands it, you would rarely use it in casual conversation with friends, as it sounds overly serious or like a moral lesson. In daily life, people are more likely to simply say 執到錢交返俾人.
Examples
He handed the money back after finding it; he is truly honest.
nei5你zap1執dou2到ngan4銀baau1包gaau1交faan1返bei2俾ging2警caat3察，ni1呢go3個hang4行wai4為giu3叫sap6拾gam1金bat1不mui6昧。
You handed the wallet you found to the police; this act is called honesty.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a common verb phrase, but it is a rigid four-character idiom. Do not try to insert particles like 咗 or 緊 inside it, as that would break the idiom's structure.
Grammar color guide
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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.
