zai2 daai6 zai2 sai3 gaai3仔大仔世界
Jyutpingzai2 daai6 zai2 sai3 gaai3
Yalejái daaih jái sai gaai
Definition
A parental lament that once children grow up, they make their own decisions and are no longer controlled by their parents.
colloquialfamilypeople
How it's used
This expression carries a tone of resigned acceptance, acknowledging that a parent's influence naturally wanes as children reach adulthood. It is frequently used by parents to justify stepping back from interfering in their adult children's life choices, such as career paths or relationships. The phrase is gendered, so it is common to swap the first character to 女大女世界 when referring to a daughter.
Examples
My son is grown up now, let him do what he wants.
He has his own life now, why are you still controlling him so much?
Related words
Common phrases
Children grow up and have their own lives, regardless of gender.
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a literal description of a child's world, but it is specifically a parental lament about the loss of control. It should not be used to describe a child's actual environment or activities.
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.
