wu1 jin1 zoeng3 hei3烏煙瘴氣乌烟瘴气
Jyutpingwu1 jin1 zoeng3 hei3
Yalewū yīn jeung hei
Definition
Foul, messy, and unpleasant, describing a chaotic or polluted environment.
colloquialdescriptionsother
How it's used
Originally referring to the miasma or foul air associated with disease or pollution, this idiom is now used metaphorically to describe any situation that feels toxic, disorganized, or morally corrupt. It carries a strong sense of disapproval and implies that the environment is actively unpleasant to be in. While it often describes physical mess, it is equally common when criticizing the atmosphere of a workplace or a group dynamic.
Examples
The whole office is in such a chaotic state, how can anyone work?
Related words
Common phrases
to cause a place to become a mess
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a literal description of air pollution, but it is frequently used to describe abstract chaos or a bad social atmosphere where no literal smoke is present.
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.
