sau1 bou2 wu6 fai3收保護費收保护费
Jyutpingsau1 bou2 wu6 fai3
Yalesāu bóu wuh fai
Definition
To collect protection money or protection fees.
colloquialpeoplemoney
How it's used
This phrase is almost exclusively associated with triad activities and criminal extortion. It carries a strong negative connotation and is frequently used in news reports or crime dramas to describe illegal activities. Using it in a casual or joking context can sound quite serious or even threatening depending on the tone.
Examples
Someone is collecting protection fees on that street.
Do you know who is collecting protection fees around here?
Related words
Common phrases
forcibly collect protection fees
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with legitimate business fees or service charges. It specifically refers to illegal extortion, so using it to describe a landlord collecting rent or a shopkeeper charging for goods will cause significant confusion or offense.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
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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).
