sik6 nou5食腦食脑
Jyutpingsik6 nou5
Yalesihk nóuh
Definition
To earn a living by using one's brains, creativity, or resourcefulness.
colloquialworkdaily actions
How it's used
Refers specifically to the act of using one's intellect or ingenuity to solve problems or generate profit. It carries a sense of professional or strategic cleverness rather than just general intelligence. It is frequently used to describe industries that rely on innovation, such as design, marketing, or entrepreneurship.
Examples
This job really demands creativity; you have to use your brain to succeed.
Do you think you don't need to be clever to run a business?
Related words
Common phrases
a job that requires creativity
must use one's brain
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with simply being smart or having a high IQ. It implies an active, deliberate effort to come up with a solution or a plan, often under pressure or in a competitive environment.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
