sau2 ting4 hau2 ting4手停口停
Jyutpingsau2 ting4 hau2 ting4
Yalesáu tìhng háu tìhng
Definition
To have no income as soon as one stops working.
colloquialworkmoney
How it's used
This idiom vividly describes the precarious situation of manual laborers or freelancers who rely on daily wages. It emphasizes the immediate link between physical activity and survival, highlighting the lack of a safety net. It is often used to express sympathy for someone's financial struggle or to urge someone to be more proactive about their employment.
Examples
He has no income because he cannot work, he is really miserable lately.
Don't just sit around with no income, go find a job quickly.
Common phrases
days of living hand to mouth
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
