sik6 je6 zuk1食夜粥
Jyutpingsik6 je6 zuk1
Yalesihk yeh jūk
Definition
To have practiced martial arts or kung fu.
colloquialpeopledaily actions
How it's used
Originating from the practice of martial arts students eating congee at night after training, this idiom is now used to describe someone who possesses genuine, hard-earned skills or a solid foundation in a particular field. It carries a sense of respect for the time and effort invested in mastering a craft. While it specifically refers to martial arts, it is frequently applied metaphorically to any area requiring deep expertise.
Examples
Did he practice kung fu when he was young?
Looking at his agility, he must have practiced kung fu.
Common phrases
really has the genuine skills
Common mistake
Do not use this literally to describe eating a late-night meal, as native speakers will interpret it as a reference to martial arts training. It is strictly an idiomatic expression for having professional or specialized experience.
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).
