zaan2 gaau2賺攪赚搅
Jyutpingzaan2 gaau2
Yalejáan gáau
Definition
To make futile efforts; to busy oneself in vain.
colloquialdaily actionsdescriptions
How it's used
Focuses on the lack of tangible results despite the expenditure of time or energy. It carries a slightly dismissive tone, suggesting that the person should stop because the outcome is already predictable. It is frequently used to advise someone to abandon a task that is clearly going nowhere.
Examples
Doing it this way is just a futile effort, it is useless.
Related words
Common phrases
purely a futile effort
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 搞錯, which means to make a mistake or misunderstand something. 賺攪 specifically refers to the fruitlessness of an action, not the correctness of the method.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
