wu4 wan6胡混
Jyutpingwu4 wan6
Yalewùh wahn
Definition
To fool around, loaf, or drift through life aimlessly.
colloquialworkdaily actions
How it's used
Focuses on the lack of seriousness or productivity in one's actions. It implies a sense of wasting time or drifting through tasks without a clear goal or effort. While it can apply to general laziness, it is frequently used to describe someone who is physically present at a workplace or school but mentally checked out.
Examples
He always loafs around at work and is not serious at all.
Stop fooling around now, hurry up and finish that report.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 混吉, which specifically refers to showing up somewhere empty-handed or without a genuine purpose, whereas 胡混 describes the act of wasting time or being unproductive.
Grammar color guide
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Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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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.
