sik6 ning4 mung1食檸檬食柠檬
Jyutpingsik6 ning4 mung1
Yalesihk nìhng mūng
Definition
To be rejected, especially when asking someone out or confessing one's love.
colloquialemotionpeople
How it's used
This idiom is exclusively used for romantic or social rejection, specifically when someone turns down an invitation or a romantic advance. It carries a slightly humorous or self-deprecating tone rather than being overly formal or aggressive. It is common to hear people say someone "派檸檬" to describe the person doing the rejecting, effectively "serving" the lemon.
Examples
I plucked up the courage to confess, but ended up getting rejected.
Common phrases
to reject someone's advance
Common mistake
Do not use this to describe being rejected for a job or a business proposal, as it is strictly reserved for interpersonal and romantic contexts.
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.
