siu2 gung1小工
Jyutpingsiu2 gung1
Yalesíu gūng
Definition
Unskilled labour, usually involved with heavy physical work.
colloquialworkpeople
How it's used
Refers specifically to manual laborers who perform heavy, repetitive, or unskilled tasks, often on construction sites or in workshops. It carries a sense of physical intensity and lower social status compared to skilled tradespeople like carpenters or electricians. While it describes a job role, it is sometimes used to describe someone who is willing to take on any menial task to get by.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
The construction site is hiring unskilled laborers, are you interested?
Related words
Common phrases
construction site laborer
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe someone who is simply a beginner or an apprentice in a skilled profession, as that would be more accurately described as 學徒.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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.
