sei2 gai1 caang3 faan6 goi3死雞撐飯蓋死鸡撑饭盖
Jyutpingsei2 gai1 caang3 faan6 goi3
Yaleséi gāi chaang faahn goi
Definition
To stubbornly refuse to admit one's mistake, making excuses to save face even when proven wrong.
colloquialpeopleemotion
How it's used
This is a classic Cantonese xiehouyu, a two part allegorical saying where the first part is spoken and the second part is implied. It vividly paints a picture of a dead chicken in a pot trying to push the lid off with its stiff legs, representing someone who is clearly defeated but refuses to give up. It is used exclusively to criticize someone for being stubborn and unreasonable when they have already lost the argument.
Examples
You are clearly in the wrong, are you still going to stubbornly refuse to admit it?
He is still making excuses even after being wrong, I really have no patience for him.
Related words
Common phrases
like a dead chicken propping up the rice-cooker lid
Common mistake
Learners often try to use this as a literal description of a stubborn person, but it is specifically reserved for situations where someone is caught in a lie or a mistake and continues to argue against the obvious truth.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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Classifier
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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).
