sau4 wan4 caam2 mou6愁雲慘霧愁云惨雾

Jyutpingsau4 wan4 caam2 mou6

Yalesàuh wàhn cháam mouh

名詞Rare

Definition

A miserable, gloomy, and depressing atmosphere.

colloquialemotiondescriptions

How it's used

This idiom is used to describe a heavy, oppressive, or sorrowful environment rather than just an individual's mood. It is frequently employed to characterize the collective feeling in a room or a community after a negative event or bad news. While it sounds formal due to its classical structure, it is commonly used in daily speech to add a dramatic or vivid flair to one's description of a situation.

Examples

uk1屋kei2企faat3發sang1生zo2咗gam3咁do1多si6事，seng4成uk1屋dou1都hai6係sau4愁wan4雲caam2慘mou6霧。

So many things happened at home, the whole house is filled with gloom.

nei5你zou6做me1咩seng4成jat6日sau4愁wan4雲caam2慘mou6霧gam3咁joeng2樣aa4呀？

Why are you always looking so miserable and depressed?

Common phrases

jat1一pin2片sau4愁wan4雲caam2慘mou6霧

a scene of total gloom

lung4籠zaau3罩喺hai2愁sau4雲wan4慘caam2霧mou6之zi1中

shrouded in an atmosphere of misery

Common mistake

Learners often mistakenly use this to describe a person's individual personality, but it specifically refers to the atmosphere or environment. Use 唔開心 or 愁眉苦臉 instead if you are describing how a specific person looks or feels.