seoi2 gwaa1 daa2 gau2水瓜打狗

Jyutpingseoi2 gwaa1 daa2 gau2

Yaleséui gwā dá gáu

語句

Definition

A Xiehouyu (two-part allegorical pun) meaning to lose a chunk or a section of something.

colloquialother

How it's used

This is a classic Cantonese 歇後語, a two-part allegorical saying where the second half is often omitted by speakers who assume the listener knows the punchline. The full phrase is 水瓜打狗，唔見一橛, referring to the fact that a soft cucumber breaks upon impact with a dog, leaving a piece behind. It is used to describe a situation where something is lent or given away and never returned, effectively lost forever.

Examples

nei5你ze3借zo2咗bun2本syu1書bei2畀keoi4佢，zan1真hai6係seoi2水gwaa1瓜daa2打gau2狗aa4呀。

You lent him that book, it is like beating a dog with a cucumber (it is gone for good).

keoi5佢ling1拎zo2咗ngo5我di1啲cin2錢zau2走，gaan2簡zik6直hai6係seoi2水gwaa1瓜daa2打gau2狗，mou5冇saai3晒jing2影。

He took my money and left, it is just like beating a dog with a cucumber, completely vanished.

Common phrases

seoi2水gwaa1瓜daa2打gau2狗，m4唔gin3見jat1一gyut6橛

To beat a dog with a cucumber, a piece is lost (the full idiom).

Common mistake

Learners often misunderstand this as a literal action or a violent idiom, but it is strictly used to describe the permanent loss of an object. Do not use it to describe physical fighting or actual animal abuse.