waan4 caan4玩殘玩残
Jyutpingwaan4 caan4
Yalewàahn chàahn
Definition
To play a harsh prank on, exhaust, or torment someone until they are in a miserable state.
colloquialpeoplework
How it's used
This term carries a strong sense of malicious intent or extreme inconvenience caused by someone else's actions. It is frequently used in workplace or social settings to describe being put through a difficult, exhausting, or impossible situation by a superior or a peer. The suffix 殘 implies that the person being treated this way is left physically or mentally drained, similar to being worn out.
Examples
He always messes with his subordinates, it's so annoying.
Related words
Common phrases
to mess with someone
to make life difficult for oneself
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with simply playing or having fun. It is strictly used to describe a negative, often abusive or manipulative experience, and is never used in a positive sense.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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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).
