兩種語言, 異曲同工 Two Languages, Similar Sayings

相信好多學語言嘅朋友, 其中一個難題, 就係好難記生字或者成語等等, 但係廣東話同英文方面, 唔知道係巧合，定還是兩種語言或者文化互相影響大家, 有好多廣東話同英文表達詞語, 大家都差唔多, 都好容易記.

搬龍門 [bun1 lung4 mun4] move the goalposts

"We'd almost signed the contract when the other guys moved the goalposts and said they wanted more money". Cambridge Dictionary.

The government keeps moving the goalposts on the criteria of the application for subsidy, making it impossible for the anti-government activists to get the subsidy.

遲到好過無到 [ci4 dou3 hou2 gwo3 mou4 dou3] better late than never  

I finished my first degree when I was 59 years old. Better late than never.

The blood report came in two days late, but better late than never.

嗤之以鼻 [ci1 zi1 ji5 bei6] sniff (at)

The politician sniffs at the mass protest against her policy.

His boss sniffed at her proposal without even reading it.

千鈞一髮 [cin1 gwan1 jat1 faat3] hang by a thread

"The mayor' political future has been hanging by a thread since the fraud scandal". Cambridge

"The patient's life was hanging by a thread". Merriam Webster

對住埲"牆"講嘢 [deoi3 zyu6 bong6 coeng4 gong2 je5] be like talking to a brick wall

"I've tried to discuss my feelings with her, but it's like talking to a brick wall" Cambridge

She has tried to explain the new policy to him several times, but it's like talking to a brick wall.

得寸進尺 [dak1 cyun3 zeon3 cek3] give someone an inch and they'll take a mile

I agreed to help David with one assignment, and now he wants me to do all his homework. Give someone an inch and they’ll take a mile.

He asked for a small change, then requested another week. Give someone an inch and they’ll take a mile.

釘死佢 [deng1 sei2 keoi5] nail (someone)

The teacher nailed the student who was cheating.

The police nailed him for crime offence.

篤背脊 [duk1 bui3 zek3] backstab

He backstabbed his colleaque to get the promotion.

Eva trusted Sam, but he backstabbed her by telling her boss the truth.

揈 [fang4] fling

She flung her jacket onto the sofa.

He flings the door open and storms out.

抌(嘢) [dam2] dump

They dumped all the broken furniture on the dumpster.

Don't dump your trash here - it's not permitted.

火上加油 fo2 soeng6 gaa1 jau2 add fuel to the fire 

Melanie was already upset, and her boy's comment just added fuel to the fire.

Blaming each other would only add fuel to the fire.

攪風攪雨 [gaau2 fung1 gaau2 jyu5] make waves

搞事搞飛/興風作浪

Jacky Yiu makes waves wherever he goes.

He made waves by questioning the CEO's new strategy.

搞屎棍  [gaau2 si2 gwan3] shit stirrer

Jacky Yiu is a notorious shit stirrer in the Chinese community.

He's a shit-stirrer - He pretends to help but actually makes trouble everywhere.

驚到瀨屎/瀨尿 [ging1 dou3 laai6 si2 7laai6 niu6] piss/shit one's pants

He shitted his pants when he saw a mouse.

She almost shit her pants when a hinky person came out of nowhere.

改善空間  [goi2 sin6 hung1 gaan1] room for improvement

Instead of admitting the mistake, the CEO said that there is room for improvement. The report is good, but there is still room for improvement in the graphic presentation.

講就容易做就難 [gong2 zau6 jung4 ji6 zou6 zau6 naan4] easier said than done

Stopping bad habits is easier said than done.

Studying hard for the future is easier said than done.

喺度食唔好喺度屙 [hai2 dou6 sik6 m4 hou2 hai2 dou6 o1] don't shit where you eat

Dating with your student? Don't shit where you eat.

She keeps complaining about her boss. You better tell her not to shit where she eats.

一石二鳥 [jat1 sek6 ji6 niu5] kill two birds with one stone

Walking the dog and getting some workout kills two birds with one stone.

Learning English by listening to podcasts while exercising helps me kill two birds with one stone.

傾拎框冷 [king1 ling1 kwaang1 laang5] clink and clank

She heard pots and pans clink and clank in the kitchen.

The tools clinked and clanked as the janitor carried them down the halfway.

噏到"口"唇邊 [ngap1 dou3 hau2 seon4 bin1] on the tip of one's tongue

What’s the name of that famous s in statue in New York? It’s right on the tip of my tongue!

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell her husband the truth, but she decided to keep quiet.

垃圾蟲 [laap6 kap1 cung4] litterbug

In 1970s the Hong Kong government had run a successful campaign against being litterbugs

Don't be a litterbug - pick up your rubbish.

勒緊褲頭 [lak6 gan2 fu3 tau4] tighten one’s belt

With rising costs, the family has to tighten its belt this quarter.

People were asked to tighten their belts during the economic downturn.

兩面人 [loeng5 min6 jan4] two faced people

Be cautious! Vivian is a two-faced woman.

He acts supportive, but he's actually every two-faced.

毛骨悚然 [mou4 gwat1 sung2 jin4] chill someone to the bone

The scream in the middle of the night chilled us to the bone.

The ghost documentary was so creepy it chilled everyone to the bone.

潑冷水 [put3 laang5 seoi2] pour/throw cold water on something

He was excited about the project, but his father threw cold water on it.

I told my girlfriend about my travel plans, but she threw cold water on it by referring to all the dangers in the country.

嘥氣 [saai1 hei3] waste one's breath

"Honestly, you're wasting your breath - he doesn't want to hear that anyone else has got to say" Cambridge.

"Don't try to reason with Paul - you're wasting your breath" Longman

收到風 [sau1 dou3 fung1] get wind of something

If the press gets wind of his scandal, the story will explode.

He got wind of the proposal and pretended he didn't know.

消滅萌芽之中  [siu1 mit6 mang4 ngaa4 zi1 zung1] nip something in the bud

The HR department need to nip this misunderstanding in the bud before it turns into a conflict.

The company nipped the rumour in the bud by addressing it right away.

雙刃劍 [soeng1 jan6 gim3] double-edged sword

Fame is a double-edged sword. You got reputation but you lose privacy.

AI is a double-edged sword. It increases efficiency but will reduce jobs.

鬆一口氣 [sung1 jat1 hau2 hei3] heave/breathe a sigh of relief

The patient heaved a huge sigh of relief when the doctor said the test results were negative.

When the test result showed that I passed, I heaved a sigh of relief.

睇低人 [tai2 dai1 jan4] look down on someone

He looks down on people who don't have high education.

The uncle looks down on his niece who has been obsessed with video games without completing the college education for which her parents had footed the bill.

貼地 [tip3 dei6] down to earth

Chow, the superstar, is surprisingly down-to-earth.

Despite his wealth, Mr. Lee has very down-to-earth attitude.

渾水摸魚/搏大霧 [wan4 seoi2 mo2 jyu4/bok3 daai6 mou6] to fish in troubled water

She's just fishing in troubled waters by selling the product at a discount to her friend when the manager is away.

The politician tried to fish in troubled waters during times of crisis to gain more votes or power for him.

詐傻扮懵 [zaa3 so4 baan6 mung2] play dumb

When his boss asked who broke the office printer, he played dumb and said, “I have no idea what happened.”

He always plays dumb when it’s time to do household chores, pretending he doesn’t know how to load the dishwasher.

左耳出右耳入 [zo2 ji5 ceot1 jau6 ji5 jap6] go in one ear and out the other

She told him three times, but it went in one ear and out the other.

The lecture went in one ear and out the other. Many students were tired to focus.

撞到 (某人) [zong6 dou3 mau5 jan4] bump into someone 與…不期而遇

While walking downtown in Toronto, I dumped into an old classmate from Hong Kong.

Lo and behold, I bumped into my ex-good friend in London.

觸動神經 [zuk1 dung6 san4 ging1] touch a nerve

His comment about his fault touched a nerve.

When K mentioned A's obsession with her love affair, it touched a nerve.