{"id":180345,"date":"2022-11-23T07:00:59","date_gmt":"2022-11-22T23:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thehoneycombers.com\/hong-kong\/?p=180345"},"modified":"2022-11-23T00:43:24","modified_gmt":"2022-11-22T16:43:24","slug":"cantonese-concepts-impossible-to-translate-to-english","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thehoneycombers.com\/hong-kong\/cantonese-concepts-impossible-to-translate-to-english\/","title":{"rendered":"These eight Cantonese concepts are virtually impossible to translate into English"},"content":{"rendered":"

Being multilingual (or bye-lingual, lol) has brought us insights into how some words are simply impossible to translate into another language. And Cantonese, being the tough language it is, has offered us plenty of these gems. In fact, some Cantonese concepts can\u2019t even be directly translated into Mandarin, despite that they\u2019re both Chinese dialects \u2013 pretty cool, right? While you probably won\u2019t need to know these words to order at your favourite cha chaan teng<\/a>, this will be a fun piece for you if you\u2019re the type to chuckle at Mcdull<\/a>, and love a bit of Hong Kong culture<\/a>. Since the notoriously difficult “add oil” is now officially in the Oxford English Dictionary<\/a>, we\u2019ve come up with a new list of Cantonese concepts and terms that are super hard to directly translate into English. See if you can beat us by coming up with the perfect translations as you scroll down the list!<\/p>\n

8 Cantonese concepts that are impossible to translate<\/h2>\n

1. Mm goi VS dor tse\uff08\u5514\u8a72 VS \u591a\u8b1d\uff09<\/h3>\n

\"joseph<\/p>\n

Closest translation: thanks VS thank you very much<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019ll start with an easy one. Mm goi<\/em> and dor tse<\/em> are two short phrases every Cantonese beginner has to learn<\/a>, as they mean the all-important: thank you. And showing gratitude is always a lovely thing to do \u2013 until you use the wrong thank you, that is\u2026 Yeah, then it might just get a little awkward. Because while mm goi<\/em> and dor tse<\/em> both express appreciation, they\u2019re used in very different contexts.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s break it down. You\u2019d say mm goi<\/em> when you\u2019re being served something, or when someone does you a small favour. Think when your friend pours a shot for you (eyyy); when your mum cuts some fruit for you; or when the waiter sets the table for you. On the other hand, you\u2019d say dor tse<\/em> when you\u2019re given presents, or when someone\u2019s done you a huge favour. Dor tse<\/em> for coming to our Ted Talk.<\/p>\n

2. Yook gun\uff08\u8089\u7dca\uff09<\/h3>\n

\"mother<\/p>\n

Closest translation: I wanna squishhh<\/strong><\/p>\n

The literal translation of yook gun<\/em> is meat tight (say what?), but what it really means is surprisingly cute. Basically, yook gun<\/em> is the intense feeling you get when you want to squish something or someone cute (or hug the life out of them \u2013 okay, don\u2019t). Imagine an adorable puppy running towards you. Or a corgi\u2019s bum. Or a baby with soft, chubby cheeks. Um, do we sound creepy now? Sorry, not sorry. We\u2019re just here to inform you that this emotion exists. Now hide yo kids and hide yo wives!<\/p>\n

On the less creepy side, you can also feel yook gun<\/em> when you\u2019re heavily invested in a story; like, so focused that you don\u2019t want to stop pursuing it. This may happen when you\u2019re in the middle of some fierce gameplay, or a plot twist of a novel. The closest translation we can think of in this case is hooked, but we feel yook gun<\/em> adds a bit more depth, still\u2026<\/p>\n

3. Gau\uff08\u81a0\uff09<\/h3>\n

\"reaction<\/p>\n

Closest translation: goofy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gau<\/em> literally means plastic, but when this Cantonese concept used to describe someone\u2026 Let\u2019s just say it\u2019s not exactly the best compliment. While this popular slang can imply that a person is funny, it also suggests that their humour is dry, or even immature or tasteless. In fact, the reason why this word means what it does is because it shares a similar pronunciation with a certain Canto swear word. To keep this PG, we won\u2019t reveal what that swear is, but IYKYK!<\/p>\n

Other than being an adjective, gau<\/em> can be used as a verb in the phrase pai gau<\/em> (\u6d3e\u81a0). Literally meaning: to distribute plastic, pai gau<\/em> refers to someone clowning around and exhibiting gau<\/em> behaviour.<\/p>\n

4. Sau bing\uff08\u6536\u5175\uff09<\/h3>\n

\"guys<\/p>\n

Closest translation: \u2018collecting\u2019 admirers<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is, sadly, a pretty common phenomenon in the modern world. It\u2019s not as detrimental as global warming, but it can still mean the end of the world for some people. Because sau bing<\/em>, ladies and gentlemen, is essentially the artful act of friendzoning suitors (or giving them false hope) en masse<\/em> \u2013 while still keeping these poor souls close enough to use as a port of call, like a loyal army of white knights. Literally translated as collecting soldiers, sau bing<\/em> is thought to be mostly done by girls to guys. But hey, this sort of arsey behaviour is probably (and unfortunately) not gender-specific, so beware, kids!<\/p>\n

5. Leh gum heh\uff08\u5462\u5481hea \/ \u6369\u5481\u68c4\uff09<\/h3>\n

\"clumsy<\/p>\n

Closest translation: clumsy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Imagine a typhoon<\/a> day when you have to carry a bulky umbrella, seven bags of groceries, plus a heavy tote, while rushing to the bus station. This kind of awkward and cumbersome situation, with an emphasis on bulkiness, is essentially what leh gum heh<\/em> is, as a Cantonese concept. And if you didn\u2019t have to imagine that scenario, because you\u2019re bogged down and late to everything all the time, lol we feel ya.<\/p>\n

6. Most collective nouns<\/h3>\n

\"prickle<\/p>\n

Some of you may remember learning about collective nouns in your English lessons<\/a>. A school of fish, a flock of birds, a bunch of flowers\u2026 But these are nowhere as descriptive as Cantonese collective nouns. In fact, you could use some of these collective nouns as objects of similes, and Canto-speakers would immediately know the state, shape, or appearance of what you\u2019re trying to describe. Here are some examples:<\/p>\n