waan2 nai4 saa1玩泥沙
Jyutpingwaan2 nai4 saa1
Yalewáan nàih sā
Definition
To play with mud and sand; or figuratively, to play childish games and not be serious.
- to play with mud and sand
- figurativeto engage in childish, unserious, or trivial activities
colloquialdaily actionspeople
How it's used
Beyond the literal act of children playing in sand, this phrase is frequently used as a metaphor for someone behaving childishly or lacking professional focus. It carries a dismissive tone, implying that the person's current actions are trivial or unproductive. It is a common way to call out someone who is not taking a task seriously enough.
Examples
When we were little, we used to play in the sand at the park all the time.
Don't mess around with your work, can you be a bit more serious?
Related words
Common phrases
stop messing around
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with simply playing with toys, as the phrase specifically evokes the image of messy, aimless, and immature play. It is almost exclusively used in a critical or nostalgic context rather than describing a hobby.
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.
