Little Bites Canto Club



死死死死

What's up with the Chinese + Cantonese and the word death (死/sei2)? I think it's so funny that four is considered a bad luck number (just like how there is no 13th floor in the U.S., there is no 4th floor in Chinese buildings) because it sounds like the world death. Yet, it's so casually used in daily speech.


As emphasis:

When you get startled?
嚇死呀 (haak3 sei2 aa1)!!

Don't forget your coat mai lei 凍死 (dung3 sei2).
I'm not cold!
要靚唔要命 (jiu3 leng3 m4 jiu3 ming6)
... >.>

When something is so so so funny?
ROFLMAO laugh die me 笑死我 (siu3 sei2 ngo5)

Annoyed?
激死 (gik1 sei2)

Receiving the consquences of your actions?
抵死 (dai2 sei2)

Ordered the Ghirardelli Earthquake Sundae?
肥死 (fei4 sei2) you fr fr


Phrases:

死畀你睇 (sei2 bei2 nei5 tai2): I'll show you!


Four(四/sei3)/Death(死/sei2):

Number Sounds Like Jyutping English Meaning
4 sei2 death
14 實死 sat6 sei2 will definitely die
24 易死 ji6 sei2 easy to die
5354 唔生唔死 m4 saang1 m4 sei2 not dead, not alive
9413 九死一生 gau2 sei2 jat1 saang1 90% dead, 10% live
114 日日死 jat6 jat6 sei2 die every day
324 生意死 saang1 ji3 sei2 business dead
104 一定死 jat1 ding6 sei2 for sure die
524 唔易死 m4 ji6 sei2 not easy to die

More fun: