zou6 gwai2 dou1 m4 ling4做鬼都唔靈做鬼都唔灵

Jyutpingzou6 gwai2 dou1 m4 ling4

Yalejouh gwái dōu m̀h lìhng

Definition

To be a complete failure in life; so useless that even as a ghost after death, one would have no spiritual power.

colloquialpeopleslang

How it's used

This idiom carries a strong sense of mockery and is used to describe someone who is consistently incompetent or unlucky. It implies that the person's failure is so profound that it transcends their living state. It is quite harsh and should be reserved for close friends or when expressing deep frustration with someone's repeated mistakes.

Examples

keoi5佢zou6做je5嘢gam3咁joeng2樣，zan1真hai6係zou6做gwai2鬼dou1都m4唔leng4靈aa4呀。

The way he does things, he is a total failure.

nei5你lin4連nei4呢joeng6樣dou1都gaau2搞m4唔dim6掂，hai6係mai6咪zou6做gwai2鬼dou1都m4唔leng4靈㗎？

You can't even handle this, are you really that useless?

Common phrases

zan1真hai6係zou6做gwai2鬼dou1都m4唔leng4靈

really a complete failure

Common mistake

Do not use this phrase in professional or formal settings, as it is highly colloquial and can be considered an insult. It is specifically used to describe a person's lack of capability, not just a single failed event.