呢 nī this (Cantonese) / see also 哩[li1] syn 浪费 浪費 làng fèi to waste / to squander syn 基 jī (bound form) base / foundation / (bound form) radical (chemistry) / (bound form) gay (loanword from English into Cantonese, Jyutping: gei1, followed by orthographic borrowing from Cantonese) syn 废物 廢物 fèi wù rubbish / waste material / useless person syn 点心 點心 diǎn xin light refreshments / pastry / dim sum (in Cantonese cooking) / dessert syn 耽误 耽誤 dān wu to delay / to hold up / to waste time / to interfere with syn 白费 白費 bái fèi to waste (one's energy etc) syn 糟蹋 zāo tà to waste / to spoil / to ruin / to wreck / to insult / to humiliate / to defile (a woman) / to rape / also pr. [zao1ta5] syn 夏娃 xià wá Eve, the first woman (transcription used in Protestant versions of the Bible) (from Hebrew Ḥawwāh, probably via Cantonese 夏娃 {Haa6waa1}) 母鸡 母雞 mǔ jī hen / don't know (humorous slang mimicking Cantonese 唔知, Jyutping: m4 zi1) syn 排泄物 排洩物 pái xiè wù excreta / waste matter (feces, urine etc) syn 耗费 耗費 hào fèi to waste / to spend / to consume / to squander syn 荒废 荒廢 huāng fèi to abandon (cultivated fields) / no longer cultivated / to lie waste / wasted / to neglect (one's work or study) syn 废料 廢料 fèi liào waste products / refuse / garbage / good-for-nothing (derog.) syn 排放 pái fàng to arrange in order / to emit / to discharge (exhaust gas, waste water etc) / (of animals) to ovulate / to discharge semen syn 排泄 排洩 pái xiè to drain (factory waste etc) / to excrete (urine, sweat etc) syn 排水管 pái shuǐ guǎn drainpipe / waste pipe 前功尽弃 前功盡棄 qián gōng jìn qì to waste all one's previous efforts (idiom) / all that has been achieved goes down the drain syn 废纸 廢紙 fèi zhǐ waste paper syn 残渣 殘渣 cán zhā remainder / filtered out residue / sediment / waste product / debris / detritus / rubbish syn 按揭 àn jiē a mortgage (loanword via Cantonese) / to buy property on a mortgage 混日子 hùn rì zi to idle / to waste time syn 钻牛角尖 鑽牛角尖 zuān niú jiǎo jiān lit. to penetrate into a bull's horn (idiom) / fig. to waste time on an insoluble or insignificant problem / to bash one's head against a brick wall / a wild goose chase / a blind alley / to split hairs syn 废气 廢氣 fèi qì exhaust gas / industrial waste gas 消瘦 xiāo shòu to waste away / to become thin syn 还魂 還魂 huán hún to return from the grave / (old) to recycle (waste products) syn 产出 產出 chǎn chū to produce (graduates, breast milk, toxic waste, creative ideas etc) / output syn 回收站 huí shōu zhàn recycling center / waste materials collection depot / (computing) recycle bin 废水 廢水 fèi shuǐ waste water / drain water / effluent 街市 jiē shì downtown area / commercial district / (chiefly Cantonese) wet market, i.e. a marketplace selling fresh meat, fish and vegetables etc 粤语 粵語 yuè yǔ Cantonese language 饮茶 飲茶 yǐn chá to have tea and refreshments / to have dim sum lunch (Cantonese) syn 余热 餘熱 yú rè residual heat / surplus heat / waste heat / (fig.) capacity of retirees to continue to work 铺张浪费 鋪張浪費 pū zhāng làng fèi extravagance and waste (idiom) syn 暴殄天物 bào tiǎn tiān wù to waste natural resources recklessly / not to know how to use things sparingly syn 走弯路 走彎路 zǒu wān lù to take an indirect route / to waste one's time by using an inappropriate method 变废为宝 變廢為寶 waste for wealth 废液 廢液 fèi yè waste liquids 耗损 耗損 hào sǔn to waste 废渣 廢渣 fèi zhā industrial waste product / slag 粤菜 粵菜 yuè cài Cantonese cuisine 抓紧时间 抓緊時間 zhuā jǐn shí jiān to waste no time in (doing sth) / to hurry up 无厘头 無厘頭 wú lí tóu silly talk or "mo lei tau" (Cantonese), genre of humor emerging from Hong Kong late in the 20th century 花掉 huā diào to spend (time, money) / to waste 埋单 埋單 mái dān to pay the bill (in a restaurant etc) (loanword from Cantonese) / (fig.) to bear responsibility 广东人 廣東人 guǎng dōng rén Cantonese (people) 广东话 廣東話 guǎng dōng huà Cantonese language 枉费 枉費 wǎng fèi to waste (one's breath, one's energy etc) / to try in vain syn 固体废物 固体廢物 gù tǐ fèi wù solid waste 贻误 貽誤 yí wù to affect adversely / to delay or hinder / to waste (an opportunity) / to mislead syn 排空 pái kōng to drain out / to empty / to discharge (waste gas) into the air / to soar up into the sky 白活 bái huó to waste one's life / to fail to make the most of one's life 乱花 亂花 luàn huā to spend recklessly / to waste money 粤剧 粵劇 yuè jù Cantonese opera syn 烧腊 燒臘 shāo là barbecue (Cantonese style) 内耗 內耗 nèi hào internal friction / internal dissipation of energy (in mechanics) / fig. waste or discord within an organization 劳民伤财 勞民傷財 láo mín shāng cái waste of manpower and resources syn 三废 三廢 sān fèi three types of waste product, namely: waste water 廢水|废水[fei4 shui3], exhaust gas 廢氣|废气[fei4 qi4], industrial slag 廢渣|废渣[fei4 zha1] 吉列 jí liè breaded and fried cutlet (loanword via Cantonese) 尾矿 尾礦 wěi kuàng mining waste / waste remaining after processing ore / tailings 牛腩 niú nǎn brisket (esp. Cantonese) / belly beef / spongy meat from cow's underside and neighboring ribs / erroneously translated as sirloin 费话 費話 fèi huà to talk at length / to waste one's breath / variant of 廢話|废话[fei4 hua4] 糟践 糟踐 zāo jian to waste / to spoil / to destroy / to insult grievously syn 叫鸡 叫雞 jiào jī rooster / cock / (slang) (Cantonese) to visit a prostitute 大黄鱼 大黃魚 dà huáng yú Croceine croaker (Pseudosciaena crocea), a fish popular in Cantonese cooking syn 唔 wú oh (expression of agreement or surprise) / (Cantonese) not syn 佬 lǎo male / man (Cantonese) syn 磨 mó to rub / to grind / to polish / to sharpen / to wear down / to die out / to waste time / to pester / to insist syn 哩 lī this (Cantonese) / see also 呢[ni1] / see also 哩哩羅羅|哩哩罗罗[li1 li1 luo1 luo1] syn 耗 hào to waste / to spend / to consume / to squander / news / (coll.) to delay / to dilly-dally syn 曲奇 qǔ qí cookie (loanword via Cantonese 曲奇 kuk1 kei4) 旷 曠 kuàng to neglect / to skip (class or work) / to waste (time) / vast / loose-fitting syn 噼 pī child's buttocks (esp. Cantonese) / (onom.) crack, slap, clap, clatter etc 糜 mí rice gruel / rotten / to waste (money) syn 呔 tāi tie / necktie / tire (Cantonese) syn 靡 mí to waste (money) syn 屈才 qū cái to waste talent syn 粤 粵 yuè Cantonese / short name for Guangdong 廣東|广东[Guang3 dong1] 乜 miē used in 乜斜[mie1xie5] / (Cantonese) what? syn 坐失良机 坐失良機 zuò shī liáng jī to sit and waste a good opportunity (idiom) / to lose the chance syn 烧荒 燒荒 shāo huāng to clear waste land or forest by burning / slash-and-burn (agriculture) 地沟油 地溝油 dì gōu yóu illegally recycled waste cooking oil 豉油 chǐ yóu soy sauce (chiefly in Cantonese and Hakka areas) 话不投机半句多 話不投機半句多 huà bù tóu jī bàn jù duō (idiom) when views are irreconcilable, it's a waste of breath to continue discussion syn 蔗渣 zhè zhā bagasse (sugar cane waste) 跎 tuó to stumble / to waste time 腩 nǎn brisket / belly beef / spongy meat from cow's underside and neighboring ribs / see 牛腩[niu2 nan3] esp. Cantonese / erroneously translated as sirloin 欲速则不达 欲速則不達 yù sù zé bù dá (idiom) (the Analects) haste makes waste / things can't be rushed 官非 guān fēi lawsuit (from Cantonese) 白斩鸡 白斬雞 bái zhǎn jī Cantonese poached chicken, known as "white cut chicken" 瞓 xùn to sleep (Cantonese) / Mandarin equivalent: 睡[shui4] 瞓 fèn to sleep (Cantonese) / Mandarin equivalent: 睡[shui4] 脷 lì (cattle) tongue (Cantonese) 篼 dōu bamboo, rattan or wicker basket / sedan chair for mountain use (Cantonese) 腬 róu greasy (Cantonese) 异化作用 異化作用 yì huà zuò yòng catabolism (biology) / metabolic breaking down and waste disposal / dissimilation 割鸡焉用牛刀 割雞焉用牛刀 gē jī yān yòng niú dāo lit. why use a pole-ax to slaughter a chicken? (idiom) / fig. to waste effort on a trifling matter / also written 殺雞焉用牛刀|杀鸡焉用牛刀[sha1 ji1 yan1 yong4 niu2 dao1] 坐失机宜 坐失機宜 zuò shī jī yí to sit and waste a good opportunity (idiom) / to lose the chance 鼎铛玉石 鼎鐺玉石 dǐng chēng yù shí lit. to use a sacred tripod as cooking pot and jade as ordinary stone (idiom) / fig. a waste of precious material / casting pearls before swine 