sat1 ji4 fuk6 dak1失而復得失而复得
Jyutpingsat1 ji4 fuk6 dak1
Yalesāt yìh fuhk dāk
Definition
To regain something that was once lost.
neutraldaily actionsemotion
How it's used
This idiom carries a sense of relief or emotional weight, often used when something precious is recovered after being considered gone forever. It functions as a formal or literary expression that is frequently used in spoken Cantonese to describe the specific feeling of joy upon finding a lost item. Unlike simple verbs like 搵返, this phrase emphasizes the dramatic transition from loss to recovery.
Examples
I found my phone again, it really is a case of regaining what was lost.
Your wallet has been recovered, be more careful next time.
Common phrases
the feeling of regaining something lost
Common mistake
Do not treat this as a transitive verb that takes an object directly. You cannot say 失而復得咗個銀包, as the structure implies the state of the subject has changed rather than acting upon an object.
Grammar color guide
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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).
