Proverbs

Level 5Sounds Like jin6 jyu5

Cantonese proverbs are earthy, colloquial expressions used to summarize life lessons, social truths, or moral advice. Unlike formal idioms, they are the language of the street and home.

How It Works

Cantonese proverbs (諺語 jin6 jyu5) are a cornerstone of advanced fluency. They differ from four-character idioms (成語 sing4 jyu5) because they are longer, more rhythmic, and mostly colloquial.

Key Characteristics:

  • Pragmatic Realism: They often focus on accepting consequences or adapting to reality (e.g., 'If you eat salted fish, you must endure the thirst').
  • Syntactic Independence: They usually stand alone as a comment on a situation rather than being integrated into a sentence as a small modifier.
  • Fixed Structure: Many use the potential particle 得 (dak1) or negation 唔 (m4) to express what can or cannot be done.
  • Register: They are highly informal. While they contain ancient wisdom, they are used in daily speech, movies, and TV dramas to add cultural weight and flavor.

Examples (4)

  1. 食得鹹魚抵得渴，你自己揀做呢行就唔好投訴咁多。

    If you eat salted fish, you must endure the thirst; since you chose this industry, don't complain so much.

    Word by Word: Eat can salt fish endure can thirst, you self choose do this line then not good complain so much.

    This proverb uses the metaphor of 'salted fish' (鹹魚 haam4 jyu2) to explain that one must accept the consequences of their own choices.

  2. 馬死落地行，而家公司執咗，唯有自己做住外賣先。

    When the horse dies, you have to walk; now that the company has closed, I'll just deliver food for now.

    Word by Word: Horse die fall ground walk, now company close [perfective], only have self do [durative] delivery first.

    This proverb (馬死落地行 maa5 sei2 lok6 dei6 haang4) means one must adapt to circumstances when resources are lost.

  3. 牛唔飲水唔撳得牛頭低，佢唔想讀書你迫都冇用。

    You can't force a cow's head down if it doesn't want to drink; if he doesn't want to study, there's no use forcing him.

    Word by Word: Cow not drink water not press can cow head low, he not want study you force also no use.

    This proverb uses the potential marker 唔撳得 (m4 gam6 dak1 - cannot press) to show that you cannot force someone to do something against their will.

  4. 邊有咁大隻蛤乸隨街跳吖？呢啲騙案嚟㗎。

    Where would you find such a big bullfrog jumping around the street? These are scams.

    Word by Word: Where have so big [classifier] bullfrog along street jump [particle]? These scam come [particle].

    This proverb (咁大隻蛤乸隨街跳 gam3 daai6 zek3 gap3 naa2 ceoi4 gaai1 tiu3) is a warning that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Common Mistakes

  • Using proverbs in formal academic or professional writing.

    根據研究，食得鹹魚抵得渴。
    根據研究，個人必須為其選擇承擔後果。

    Proverbs are colloquial. In formal writing, use Standard Written Chinese or formal four-character idioms instead.

  • Reading a proverb literally instead of by its meaning.

    佢話馬死落地行，即係匹馬死咗，所以人要落地行。
    佢話馬死落地行，即係冇辦法嘅時候就要自己想辦法。

    The power of a proverb lies in its meaning. Reading 馬死落地行 as a story about a dead horse loses the point; it means you adapt when things go wrong.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

ProverbsLevel 5

Learn This First

Proverbs (諺語) are fixed idiomatic expressions that often encapsulate folk wisdom. To understand them, learners need a strong grasp of both colloquial Cantonese structures and the way the language incorporates more formal or classical elements.