Vocabulary

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擦鞋 caat3 haai4 to fawn; to suck up to; to brown-nose
吞樸 tan1 pok1 to slack off (at work)
卸膊 se3 bok3 to deny responsibility; to blame others
鐵飯碗 tit3 faan6 wun2 a very secure job or source of income

Lesson Transcript

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INTRODUCTION
John: Hi everyone, and welcome back to CantoneseClass101.com. I'm John.
Siuling: And I'm Siuling!
John: This is Must-Know Cantonese Slang Words and Phrases, Season 1, Lesson 1. In this lesson, you'll learn common slang expressions used in the workplace, part 1.
John: Learn various expressions you can use when you're talking to your coworkers.
SLANG EXPRESSIONS
John: The expressions you'll be learning in this lesson are:
Siuling: 擦鞋 (caat3 haai4)
Siuling: 吞樸 (tan1 pok1)
Siuling: 卸膊 (se3 bok3)
Siuling: 鐵飯碗 (tit3 faan6 wun2)
John: Siuling, what's our first expression?
Siuling: 擦鞋 (caat3 haai4)
John: Which literally means "to polish shoes." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "to fawn; to suck up to; brown-nose."
Siuling: [SLOW] 擦鞋 [NORMAL] 擦鞋
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Siuling: 擦鞋
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: Use this slang expression when describing the action of fawning or brown-nosing to impress a superior.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Siuling: [NORMAL] 佢乜都唔識做,淨係識擦鞋。 [SLOW] 佢乜都唔識做,淨係識擦鞋。
John: "He doesn't know how to do anything but to suck up."
Siuling: [NORMAL] 佢乜都唔識做,淨係識擦鞋。
John: Okay, what's the next expression?
Siuling: 吞樸 (tan1 pok1)
John: literally meaning "to swallow simple." As a slang expression, it means "to slack off (at work)."
Siuling: [SLOW] 吞樸 [NORMAL] 吞樸
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Siuling: 吞樸
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: Use this slang expression when referring to someone who disappears while on the job.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Siuling: [NORMAL] 條友仔成日吞樸。 [SLOW] 條友仔成日吞樸。
John: "That guy always slacks off at work."
Siuling: [NORMAL] 條友仔成日吞樸。
John: Okay, what's our next expression?
Siuling: 卸膊 (se3 bok3)
John: This literally means "to unload from shoulder." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "to deny responsibility; to blame others."
Siuling: [SLOW] 卸膊 [NORMAL] 卸膊
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Siuling: 卸膊
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: Use this slang expression when referring to someone who always blames others for their own responsibility.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Siuling: [NORMAL] 佢最叻卸膊。 [SLOW] 佢最叻卸膊。
John: "He's really good at blaming other people."
Siuling: [NORMAL] 佢最叻卸膊。
John: Okay, what's the last expression?
Siuling: 鐵飯碗 (tit3 faan6 wun2)
John: literally meaning "iron rice bowl." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "a very secure job or source of income."
Siuling: [SLOW] 鐵飯碗 [NORMAL] 鐵飯碗
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Siuling: 鐵飯碗
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: Use this slang expression when referring to a job that generates stable income.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Siuling: [NORMAL] 公務員有鐵飯碗。 [SLOW] 公務員有鐵飯碗。
John: "Civil servants have a very secure source of income."
Siuling: [NORMAL] 公務員有鐵飯碗。
QUIZ
John: Okay listeners, are you ready to be quizzed on the expressions you just learned? I’ll describe four situations, and you’ll choose the right expression to use in your reply. Are you ready?
John: A staff member is hiding in the storage room and avoiding work.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Siuling: 吞樸
John: "to slack off (at work)"
John: A staff is trying to impress the manager and get on his good side by praising him a lot.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Siuling: 擦鞋
John: "to fawn; to suck up to; brown-nose"
John: You found a job that provides steady income and benefits.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Siuling: 鐵飯碗
John: "a very secure job or source of income"
John: The politicians shrugged off the issue and denied they made such promises.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Siuling: 卸膊
John: "to deny responsibility; blame others"

Outro

John: There you have it; you’ve mastered four Cantonese slang expressions! We have more vocab lists available at CantoneseClass101.com so be sure to check them out. Thanks, everyone, and see you next time!
Siuling: 拜拜.