zap1 mai4 bat1 ng6執迷不悟执迷不悟
Jyutpingzap1 mai4 bat1 ng6
Yalejāp màih bāt ngh
Definition
To obstinately cling to one's errors and refuse to reform or repent.
neutralpeopledescriptions
How it's used
Carries a strong sense of disapproval, often used to describe someone who is blinded by their own flawed logic or ego. It implies a sense of frustration from the speaker, as the person being described is seen as beyond the reach of reason or advice. Unlike simpler terms for stubbornness, this specifically highlights a refusal to acknowledge a moral or factual error.
Examples
He is still stubborn and refuses to repent, no matter how we try to persuade him.
Related words
Common phrases
blindly persisting in one's errors
Common mistake
Often confused with 固執, which simply means stubborn or headstrong. 執迷不悟 carries a much heavier moral weight and implies that the person is actively ignoring the truth or reality of a situation, rather than just having a difficult personality.
Grammar color guide
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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.
