siu2 bun2 ging1 jing4小本經營小本经营
Jyutpingsiu2 bun2 ging1 jing4
Yalesíu bún gīng yìhng
Definition
A small business, or a business run on small capital.
colloquialworkmoney
How it's used
This phrase carries a humble tone, often used by shop owners to downplay their success or explain why they cannot offer large discounts. It emphasizes the limited capital and modest scale of the operation rather than just the size of the store. You will frequently hear it used when discussing the vulnerability of independent shops to rising commercial rents.
Examples
The couple has always been running a small business.
This shop is a small-scale operation, so it doesn't make much money.
Related words
Common phrases
small business owners
insist on running a small-scale business
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.
