to4 seoi1佗衰
Jyutpingto4 seoi1
Yaletòh sēui
Definition
To bring shame, misfortune, or bad luck to others, or to be a bad influence on someone.
colloquialpeopleemotion
How it's used
Focuses on the loss of face or reputation caused by someone else's actions. It is often used within family contexts to describe a member who ruins the family name through bad behavior. The term carries a strong sense of disappointment and social burden.
Examples
Please stop bringing shame on me, it is really embarrassing.
He is always causing trouble outside, he is simply a disgrace to the family.
Related words
Common phrases
to bring shame upon one's family
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with simply being a bad person. It specifically implies that the person's actions negatively impact the reputation or luck of the people associated with them.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
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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).
