Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
John: Expressions to Describe Feeling Perplexed
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 14. In this lesson, you'll learn expressions to describe feeling perplexed.
John: Hong Kongers often use these expressions when they feel baffled or don't know how to handle a situation.
SLANG EXPRESSIONS
John: The expressions you’ll be learning in this lesson are:
Siuling: O嘴 (ou1 zeoi2)
Siuling: R晒頭 (aau1 saai3 tau4)
Siuling: 好瘀 (hou2 jyu2)
Siuling: 眼白白 (ngaan5 baak6 baak6)
John: Siuling, what's our first expression?
Siuling: O嘴 (ou1 zeoi2)
John: This literally means "O mouth." But when used as a slang expression, it means "shocked; puzzled; speechless."
Siuling: [SLOW] O嘴 [NORMAL] O嘴
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Siuling: O嘴
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: Use this slang expression when something shocking or puzzling happens and people don't know how to react.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Siuling: [NORMAL] 奧斯卡頒錯獎,全部人都O嘴! [SLOW] 奧斯卡頒錯獎,全部人都O嘴!
John: "The Oscars mix-up left everyone shocked!"
Siuling: [NORMAL] 奧斯卡頒錯獎,全部人都O嘴!
John: Okay, what's the next expression?
Siuling: R晒頭 (aau1 saai3 tau4)
John: literally meaning "to scratch one's head." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "to be totally clueless or confused; perplexed."
Siuling: [SLOW] R晒頭 [NORMAL] R晒頭
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Siuling: R晒頭
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: Use this slang expression when describing a situation that’s confusing or puzzling.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Siuling: [NORMAL] 你無啦啦問我呢啲嘢,我都R晒頭。 [SLOW] 你無啦啦問我呢啲嘢,我都R晒頭。
John: "You're asking me all these questions suddenly; I'm bewildered."
Siuling: [NORMAL] 你無啦啦問我呢啲嘢,我都R晒頭。
John: Okay, what's our next expression?
Siuling: 好瘀 (hou2 jyu2)
John: which literally means "very bruise." As a slang expression, it means "to be embarrassed."
Siuling: [SLOW] 好瘀 [NORMAL] 好瘀
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Siuling: 好瘀
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: Use this slang expression when something embarrassing happens.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Siuling: [NORMAL] 佢上台攞獎嗰陣跌親,好瘀! [SLOW] 佢上台攞獎嗰陣跌親,好瘀!
John: "She tripped while walking up the stage to accept the award. How embarrassing!"
Siuling: [NORMAL] 佢上台攞獎嗰陣跌親,好瘀!
John: Okay, what's the last expression?
Siuling: 眼白白 (ngaan5 baak6 baak6)
John: literally meaning "eyes white white." As a slang expression, it means "helplessly."
Siuling: [SLOW] 眼白白 [NORMAL] 眼白白
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Siuling: 眼白白
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: Use this slang expression when someone has to witness an unfortunate event, but there’s nothing they can do to help the situation.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Siuling: [NORMAL] 我哋眼白白睇住幾百萬輸晒。 [SLOW] 我哋眼白白睇住幾百萬輸晒。
John: "We watched helplessly as we lost millions."
Siuling: [NORMAL] 我哋眼白白睇住幾百萬輸晒。
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: You encountered a situation that you have no clue how to resolve.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Siuling: R晒頭
John: "to be totally clueless or confused; perplexed"
John: Something jaw-dropping or shocking happened.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Siuling: O嘴
John: "shocked; puzzled; speechless"
John: You have to let an unfortunate situation unfold, and there’s nothing you can do.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Siuling: 眼白白
John: "helplessly"
John: Something embarrassing happened to you.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Siuling: 好瘀
John: "to be embarrassed"

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.

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