waan4 fo2 zi6 fan4玩火自焚

Jyutpingwaan4 fo2 zi6 fan4

Yalewàahn fó jih fàhn

Definition

To play with fire and get burned; to do something dangerous or harmful to others and end up hurting oneself.

colloquialdescriptions

How it's used

This idiom carries a strong sense of self-inflicted disaster resulting from malicious intent or reckless behavior. It is often used to criticize someone who creates a dangerous situation to hurt others but ends up suffering the consequences themselves. The tone is usually cautionary or judgmental.

Examples

nei5你gam3咁joeng2樣gaau2搞faat3法，gaan2簡zik6直hai6係waan2玩fo2火zi6自fan4焚aa4呀。

The way you are handling this, you are basically playing with fire.

keoi5佢ming4明zi1知go3個gai3計waak6劃jau5有man6問tai4題dou1都jiu3要zou6做，zan1真hai6係waan2玩fo2火zi6自fan4焚。

He knew the plan was flawed but went ahead anyway, he is really asking for trouble.

Common phrases

gaan2簡zik6直hai6係waan2玩fo2火zi6自fan4焚

simply asking for trouble

Common mistake

Do not use this to describe simple accidents or bad luck. It specifically implies that the person's own actions or poor judgment are the direct cause of their downfall.