両 {liǎng}

1. two
2. both
3. some
4. a few
5. tael, unit of weight equal to 50 grams (modern) or 1⁄16 of a catty 斤 (old)

余 {yú}

1. extra
2. surplus
3. remaining
4. remainder after division
5. (following numerical value) or more
6. in excess of (some number)
7. residue (math.)
8. after
9. I
10. me

餘〔馀〕 {yú}

1. extra
2. surplus
3. remaining
4. remainder after division
5. (following numerical value) or more
6. in excess of (some number)
7. residue (math.)
8. after
9. I
10. me

宊 {jiā}

1. home
2. family
3. (polite) my (sister, uncle etc)
4. classifier for families or businesses
5. refers to the philosophical schools of pre-Han China
6. noun suffix for a specialist in some activity, such as a musician or revolutionary, corresponding to English -ist, -er, -ary or -ian
7. CL: 個

㒳 {liǎng}

1. two
2. both
3. some
4. a few
5. tael, unit of weight equal to 50 grams (modern) or 1⁄16 of a catty 斤 (old)

閙〔闹〕 {nào}

1. noisy
2. cacophonous
3. to make noise
4. to disturb
5. to vent (feelings)
6. to fall ill
7. to have an attack (of sickness)
8. to go in (for some activity)
9. to joke

厶 {mǒu}

1. some
2. a certain
3. sb or sth indefinite
4. such-and-such

從〔从〕 cung⁴ {cóng}

1. from
2. via
3. passing through
4. through (a gap)
5. past
6. ever (followed by negative, meaning never)
7. (formerly pr. [zong4] and related to 縱) to follow
8. to comply with
9. to obey
10. to join
11. to engage in
12. adopting some mode of action or attitude
13. follower
14. retainer
15. accessory
16. accomplice
17. related by common paternal grandfather or earlier ancestor

家 gaa¹ {jiā}

1. home
2. family
3. (polite) my (sister, uncle etc)
4. classifier for families or businesses
5. refers to the philosophical schools of pre-Han China
6. noun suffix for a specialist in some activity, such as a musician or revolutionary, corresponding to English -ist, -er, -ary or -ian
7. CL: 個

餘〔余〕 jyu⁴ {yú}

1. extra
2. surplus
3. remaining
4. remainder after division
5. (following numerical value) or more
6. in excess of (some number)
7. residue (math.)
8. after
9. I
10. me

倆〔俩〕 loeng⁵ {liǎ}

1. two (colloquial equivalent of 兩個)
2. both
3. some

兩〔两〕 loeng⁵ {liǎng}

1. two
2. both
3. some
4. a few
5. tael, unit of weight equal to 50 grams (modern) or 1⁄16 of a catty 斤 (old)

某 mau⁵ {mǒu}

1. some
2. a certain
3. sb or sth indefinite
4. such-and-such

鬧〔闹〕 naau⁶ {nào}

1. noisy
2. cacophonous
3. to make noise
4. to disturb
5. to vent (feelings)
6. to fall ill
7. to have an attack (of sickness)
8. to go in (for some activity)
9. to joke

些 se¹ {xiē}

1. some
2. few
3. several
4. measure word indicating a small amount or small number (greater than 1)

隻〔只〕 zek³ {zhī}

classifier for birds and certain animals, one of a pair, some utensils, vessels etc

做 zou⁶ {zuò}

1. to do
2. to make
3. to produce
4. to write
5. to compose
6. to act as
7. to engage in
8. to hold (a party)
9. to be
10. to become
11. to function (in some capacity)
12. to serve as
13. to be used for
14. to form (a bond or relationship)
15. to pretend
16. to feign
17. to act a part
18. to put on appearance

沏茶 cai³ caa⁴ {qī chá}

(verb) to make some tea

吹風〔-风〕 ceoi¹ fung¹ {chuī fēng}

to enjoy some breeze

撻朵〔挞-〕 daat³ do² {tà duǒ}

Some people take the initiative to announce their identity or status to the others, to make himself respected and take benefit

啲人 di¹ jan⁴ {dī rén}

some people, those people

舊生〔旧-〕 gau⁶ sang¹ {jiù shēng}

alumni; a student who has been in the school for some time (as opposed to new students)

河山 ho⁴ saan¹ {hé shān}

(noun) mountains and rivers; It means "land" in some content.

一日 jat¹ jat⁶ {yī rì}

(n.) a day or one day; (slang) used as part of a prepositional phrase (一日都係) to blame someone (or something or 'a reason') for some negative things that have happened, all because of; owing to; thanks to (e.g. 一日都係你 means "It's all because of you" or "Thanks to you".)

有啲 jau⁵ di¹ {yǒu dī}

(verb) to own / possess / have a bit; to own / possess / have a little bit of; (pronoun / determiner / adverb) little; a few; some; slightly; somewhat

有日 jau⁵ jat⁶ {yǒu rì}

some day; one day

撈雞〔捞鸡〕 laau⁴ gai¹ {lāo jī}

to accomplish a mission; some kind of chicken dish

買餸〔买-〕 maai⁵ sung³ {mǎisòng}

(verb) 1. To do groceries; 2. Buy some take out

某啲 mau⁵ di¹ {mǒu dī}

certain; some

收風〔-风〕 sau¹ fung¹ {shōu fēng}

to receive secret information, often used when police receive some secret information from the informers

些少 se¹ siu² {xiē shǎo}

(adjective / adverb / determiner / pronoun) a bit; a little; some; a few

提點〔-点〕 tai⁴ dim² {tí diǎn}

verb; giving some advice

雲霞〔云-〕 wan⁴ haa⁴ {yún xiá}

rosy clouds; a figure of speech to describe some faraway place remote from life or high up in the sky;

這些〔这-〕 ze² se¹ {zhèxiē}

Some of these…

幫腔〔帮-〕 bong¹ hong¹ {bāng qiāng}

1. vocal accompaniment in some traditional Chinese operas
2. to speak in support of
3. to chime in

措舉〔-举〕 cou³ geoi² {cuò jǔ}

1. move
2. measure
3. step (to some end)

促使 cuk¹ si² {cù shǐ}

1. to induce
2. to promote
3. to urge
4. to impel
5. to bring about
6. to provoke
7. to drive (sb to do sth)
8. to catalyze
9. to actuate
10. to contribute to (some development)

處於〔处于〕 cyu² jyu¹ {chǔ yú}

to be in (some state, position, or condition)

打聽〔-听〕 daa² ting¹ {dǎ ting}

1. to ask about
2. to make some inquiries
3. to ask around

大佬 daai⁶ lou² {dà lǎo}

1. big shot (leading some field or group)
2. godfather

當事〔当-〕 dong¹ si⁶ {dāng shì}

1. to be in charge
2. to be confronted (with a matter)
3. involved (in some matter)

倒掛〔-挂〕 dou³ gwaa³ {dào guà}

1. lit. to hang upside down
2. fig. topsy-turvy and inequitable, e.g. manufacturing and trading costs exceed the sale price (of some goods)
3. to borrow more than one can ever repay

篤定〔笃-〕 duk¹ ding⁶ {dǔ dìng}

1. certain
2. confident (of some outcome)
3. calm and unhurried

分享 fan¹ hoeng² {fēn xiǎng}

to share (let others have some of sth good)

分神 fan¹ san⁴ {fēn shén}

1. to give attention to sth
2. please give (some of your valuable) attention to my task
3. to be distracted

幾歲〔几岁〕 gei² seoi³ {jǐ suì}

1. some years
2. How many years?
3. How old are you? (familiar, or to child, equivalent to 多大 for older person)

改日 goi² jat⁶ {gǎi rì}

1. another day
2. some other day

改天 goi² tin¹ {gǎi tiān}

1. another day
2. some other time
3. to find another day (for appointment etc)
4. to take a rain check

趕到〔赶-〕 gon² dou³ {gǎn dào}

to hurry (to some place)

江蘺〔-蓠〕 gong¹ lei⁴ {jiāng lí}

1. red algae
2. Gracilaria, several species, some edible
3. Japanese ogonori

季相 gwai³ soeng³ {jì xiàng}

characteristic nature of some season

下場〔-场〕 haa⁶ coeng⁴ {xià chǎng}

1. to leave (the stage, an exam room, the playing field etc)
2. to take part in some activity
3. to take an examination (in the imperial examination system)

效力 haau⁶ lik⁶ {xiào lì}

1. effectiveness
2. positive effect
3. to serve (in some capacity)

效勞〔-劳〕 haau⁶ lou⁴ {xiào láo}

1. to serve (in some capacity)
2. to work for

起步 hei² bou⁶ {qǐ bù}

1. to set out
2. to set in motion
3. the start (of some activity)

開外〔开-〕 hoi¹ ngoi⁶ {kāi wài}

1. over and above (some amount)
2. beyond (budget)

康生 hong¹ sang¹ {Kāng Shēng}

Kang Sheng (1896-1975), Chinese communist leader, a politburo member during the Cultural Revolution and posthumously blamed for some of its excesses

因故 jan¹ gu³ {yīn gù}

for some reason

一些 jat¹ se¹ {yī xiē}

1. some
2. a few
3. a little

有的 jau⁵ dik¹ {yǒu de}

1. (there are) some (who are...)
2. some (exist)

有些 jau⁵ se¹ {yǒu xiē}

1. some
2. somewhat

有所 jau⁵ so² {yǒu suǒ}

1. somewhat
2. to some extent

依傍 ji¹ bong⁶ {yī bàng}

1. to rely on
2. to depend on
3. to imitate (a model)
4. to base a work (on some model)

以降 ji⁵ gong³ {yǐ jiàng}

since (some point in the past)

擬作〔拟-〕 ji⁵ zok³ {nǐ zuò}

1. to write in the style of some author
2. to write as if from the mouth of sb
3. a pastiche

業者〔业-〕 jip⁶ ze² {yè zhě}

1. dealer
2. trader
3. person engaged in some industry or trade

約合〔约-〕 joek³ hap⁶ {yuē hé}

1. approximately
2. about (some numerical value)

規誡〔规诫〕 kwai¹ gaai³ {guī jiè}

1. to warn (against some course)
2. to admonish

濫觴〔滥觞〕 laam⁶ soeng¹ {làn shāng}

1. lit. floating wine goblets on a stream
2. the origin (of some phenomenon)

另有 ling⁶ jau⁵ {lìng yǒu}

to have some other (reason etc)

略舉〔-举〕 loek⁶ geoi² {lüè jǔ}

1. some cases picked out as example
2. to highlight

問路〔问-〕 man⁶ lou⁶ {wèn lù}

1. to ask for directions
2. to ask the way (to some place)

某人 mau⁵ jan⁴ {mǒu rén}

1. someone
2. a certain person
3. some people
4. I (self-address after one's surname)

某些 mau⁵ se¹ {mǒu xiē}

1. some
2. certain (things)

某種〔-种〕 mau⁵ zung² {mǒu zhǒng}

some kind (of)

明兒〔-儿〕 ming⁴ ji⁴ {míng r}

1. (coll.) tomorrow
2. one of these days
3. some day

武術〔-术〕 mou⁵ seot⁶ {wǔ shù}

1. military skill or technique (in former times)
2. all kinds of martial art sports (some claiming spiritual development)
3. self-defense
4. tradition of choreographed fights from opera and film (recent usage)
5. also called kungfu 功夫
6. CL: 種

銀點〔银点〕 ngan⁴ dim² {yín diǎn}

1. the silver point
2. the melting point of silver 962°C used as a calibration point in some temperature scales

外鄉〔-乡〕 ngoi⁶ hoeng¹ {wài xiāng}

1. another part of the country
2. some other place

礙難〔碍难〕 ngoi⁶ naan⁴ {ài nán}

1. inconvenient
2. difficult for some reason
3. to find sth embarrassing

內皮〔内-〕 noi⁶ pei⁴ {nèi pí}

1. (med.) endothelium
2. thin skin on the inside of some fruits (e.g. oranges)

偏廢〔-废〕 pin¹ fai³ {piān fèi}

1. to give unequal emphasis to
2. doing some things at the expense of others

偏科 pin¹ fo¹ {piān kē}

1. to overemphasize some topic (at the expense of others)
2. overdoing it
3. to go overboard

偏食 pin¹ sik⁶ {piān shí}

1. partial to (some kinds of food, usu. unhealthy)
2. having likes and dislikes
3. partial eclipse

偏疼 pin¹ tang⁴ {piān téng}

1. to favor a junior
2. to show favoritism to some juniors

三分 saam¹ fan¹ {sān fēn}

1. somewhat
2. to some degree

心血 sam¹ hyut³ {xīn xuè}

1. heart's blood
2. expenditure (for some project)
3. meticulous care

身處〔-处〕 san¹ cyu³ {shēn chǔ}

1. in (some place)
2. to be in (adversity, a difficult situation, danger, turmoil etc)
3. to find oneself in
4. placed in
5. surrounded by

臣服 san⁴ fuk⁶ {chén fú}

1. to acknowledge allegiance to (some regime)
2. to serve

十足 sap⁶ zuk¹ {shí zú}

1. ample
2. complete
3. hundred percent
4. a pure shade (of some color)

事關〔-关〕 si⁶ gwaan¹ {shì guān}

1. to concern
2. on (some topic)
3. about
4. concerning
5. to have importance for

擅場〔-场〕 sin⁶ coeng⁴ {shàn chǎng}

1. to excel in some field
2. expert at sth

楔子 sit³ zi² {xiē zi}

1. wedge
2. peg
3. stopper
4. prologue (in some modern novels)
5. prologue or interlude in Yuan dynasty drama

蘇丹〔苏-〕 sou¹ daan¹ {Sū dān}

1. Sudan
2. sultan (ruler of some Muslim states, esp. Ottoman Emperor)

鬆動〔松动〕 sung¹ dung⁶ {sōng dòng}

1. loose
2. slack
3. (fig.) to soften (policies, tone of voice)
4. to give some slack
5. (of a place) not crowded

選用〔选-〕 syun² jung⁶ {xuǎn yòng}

1. to choose for some purpose
2. to select and use

選中〔选-〕 syun² zung³ {xuǎn zhòng}

1. to choose
2. to pick
3. to settle upon
4. to decide upon a candidate
5. to be selected for some role

太極〔-极〕 taai³ gik⁶ {Tài jí}

the Absolute or Supreme Ultimate, the source of all things according to some interpretations of Chinese mythology

騰出〔腾-〕 tang⁴ ceot¹ {téng chū}

to make (some time or space) available (for sb)

退場〔-场〕 teoi³ coeng⁴ {tuì chǎng}

1. to leave a place where some event is taking place
2. (of an actor) to exit
3. (sports) to leave the field
4. (of an audience) to leave

同餘〔-余〕 tung⁴ jyu⁴ {tóng yú}

1. congruent (math.)
2. having same residue modulo some number

屯戍 tyun⁴ syu³ {tún shù}

1. garrison
2. soldier stationed in some place

習得〔习-〕 zaap⁶ dak¹ {xí dé}

1. to learn
2. to acquire (some skill through practice)
3. acquisition

津梁 zeon¹ loeng⁴ {jīn liáng}

1. lit. ferry bridge
2. fig. interim measure over some difficulty
3. a guide

進逼〔进-〕 zeon³ bik¹ {jìn bī}

1. to advance on sth
2. to press closely (on some goal)

致詞〔-词〕 zi³ ci⁴ {zhì cí}

1. to make a speech
2. to make some remarks

接活 zip³ wut⁶ {jiē huó}

1. to take on a piece of work
2. to pick up some freelance work
3. (of a taxi driver) to pick up a fare

終聲〔终声〕 zung¹ sing¹ {zhōng shēng}

final (i.e. final consonant or stop of some syllables in Asian phonetics)

專司〔专-〕 zyun¹ si¹ {zhuān sī}

specialist (responsible some task)

啤啤佢〔--渠〕 be¹ be¹ keoi⁵ {pí pí qú}

let's have some beer

陳村種〔陈-种〕 can⁴ cyun¹ zung³ {chén cūn zhǒng}

a spendthrift, someone who splashes away all the money as soon as they have some

前嗰排 cin⁴ go² paai⁴ {qián g5 pái}

some time ago

電燈膽〔电灯胆〕 din⁶ dang¹ daam² {diàn dēng dǎn}

(n.) a light bulb; the third wheel; an insensitive person who tags along with a couple, without realizing that the couple wants some privacy

放聲氣〔-声气〕 fong³ seng¹ hei³ {fàng shēng qì}

an act of spreading rumours; to sneak out some information in order to find out what the opinions and views are on something

割禾青 got³ wo⁴ cing¹ {gē hé qīng}

reaping the Poaceae when it is not ripe, meaning when one gambles, he/ she should leave right away after winning some money, rather than staying and risking to lose

起字容 hei² zi⁶ jung⁴ {qǐ zì róng}

to reveal something about someone (usually big secrets); to dig up some information about someone; to get to the bottom of something

有嘢到 jau⁵ je⁵ dou³ {yǒu yě dào}

to get some progression; to gain some reward

有兩手〔-两-〕 jau⁵ loeng⁵ sau² {yǒu liǎng shǒu}

to know a thing or two; to have some skills

有聲氣〔-声气〕 jau⁵ seng¹ hei³ {yǒu shēng qì}

some progress

有揸手 jau⁵ zaa¹ sau² {yǒu zhā shǒu}

to have the mortgage or at least some security to 'hold in hand' as a guarantee for the mortgage

魚皮餃〔鱼-饺〕 jyu⁴ pei⁴ gaau² {yú pí jiǎo}

fish skin dumpling, where the dumpling skins /wrappers used contains some fish paste

嗱喳麵〔--面〕 laa⁵ zaa² min⁶ {ná zhā miàn}

cheap Hong Kong style noodles with many cheap ingredients which some people think are unclean

撩交打 liu¹ gaau¹ daa² {liāo jiāo dǎ}

to use some random excuses/ to pick on small things intentionally, so as to start a fight/ an argument

攞嚟搞 lo² lei⁴ gaau² {luō lí gǎo}

asking for trouble, get some unnecessary work for themselves

諗縮數〔谂缩数〕 nam² suk¹ sou³ {shěn suō shù}

(phrasal verb, with a negative connotation) to come up with some ideas / tricks so as to reduce the cost or stop spending more than one wants; to be stingy and scheming selfishly with no consideration for others

收到風〔--风〕 sau¹ dou³ fung¹ {shōu dào fēng}

to get wind of something; to hear some secret information

數白欖〔数-榄〕 sou² baak⁶ laam⁵ {shù bái lǎn}

noun; Bak Lam is another form of speech presentation in Cantonese opera between performers and audience. More rhyme and phrase and melodies than just dialogue. Some people call it a Chinese rap .

前臼齒〔--齿〕 cin⁴ kau⁵ ci² {qián jiù chǐ}

premolar tooth (immediately behind canine teeth in some mammals)

創作者〔创--〕 cong³ zok³ ze² {chuàng zuò zhě}

1. originator
2. creator
3. author (of some project)
4. inventor

打醬油〔-酱-〕 daa² zoeng³ jau⁴ {dǎ jiàng yóu}

1. to buy soy sauce
2. it's none of my business ("I’m just here to buy some soy sauce")

趕明兒〔赶-儿〕 gon² ming⁴ ji⁴ {gǎn míng r}

1. (coll.) some day
2. one of these days

有一些 jau⁵ jat¹ se¹ {yǒu yī xiē}

1. somewhat
2. rather
3. some

有些人 jau⁵ se¹ jan⁴ {yǒu xiē rén}

some people

撈一把〔捞--〕 laau⁴ jat¹ baa² {lāo yī bǎ}

1. to profiteer
2. to gain some underhand advantage

邁赫迪〔迈--〕 maai⁶ haak¹ dik⁶ {Mài hè dí}

Mahdi or Mehdi (Arabic: Guided one), redeemer of some Islamic prophesy

收尾音 sau¹ mei⁵ jam¹ {shōu wěi yīn}

final (i.e. final consonant or stop of some syllables in Asian phonetics)

塑造成 sou³ zou⁶ sing⁴ {sù zào chéng}

1. to shape into
2. to mold (into some form)
3. to fashion into

同餘式〔-余-〕 tung⁴ jyu⁴ sik¹ {tóng yú shì}

1. congruence (math.)
2. equation for residue modulo some number

抓功夫 zaau² gung¹ fu¹ {zhuā gōng fu}

1. to maximize one's time
2. to catch some time out
3. to find enough time
4. (also 抓工夫)

抓工夫 zaau² gung¹ fu¹ {zhuā gōng fu}

1. to maximize one's time
2. to catch some time out
3. to find enough time
4. (also 抓功夫)

大吉利是 daai⁶ gat¹ lei⁶ si⁶ {dà jí lì shì}

something one says when he/ she wants some luck

袋袋平安 doi⁶ doi⁶ ping⁴ on¹ {dài dai píng ān}

a saying used when a person received some money and would like to keep the money in a safe place; to feel at ease; peace of mind

搞三搞四 gaau² saam¹ gaau² sei³ {gǎo sān gǎo sì}

do some wicked activities (i.e. affair with women)

緊鑼密鼓〔紧锣--〕 gan² lo⁴ mat⁶ gu² {jǐn luó mì gǔ}

busy for preparation; great fanfare; wildly beating gongs and drums; intense publicity campaign in preparation for some sinister undertaking

人心肉做 jan⁴ sam¹ juk⁶ zou⁶ {rén xīn ròu zuò}

a heart is made out of meat, which means no matter how cruel a person is, he or she still has some sympathy

有所改善 jau⁵ so² goi² sin⁶ {yǒu suǒ gǎi shàn}

to have made some improvements

攞苦嚟辛 lo² fu² lei⁴ san¹ {luō kǔ lí xīn}

asking for trouble, get some unnecessary work for themselves

無米之炊〔无---〕 mou⁴ mai⁵ zi¹ ceoi¹ {wú mǐ zhī chuī}

(idiom) saying someone must have some essentials to complete a task such as a sophisticated housewife is unable to cook rice without rice-ingredient

五行欠打 ng⁵ hang⁴ him³ daa² {wǔ xíng qiàn dǎ}

someone who does some behaviors and make people so mad that he/she deserves some beatings

食過夜粥〔-过--〕 sik⁶ gwo³ je⁶ zuk¹ {shí guò yè zhōu}

to have studied martial arts before; to have some skills (martial art)

聽落有骨〔听---〕 teng¹ lok⁶ jau⁵ gwat¹ {tīng luò yǒu gǔ}

there is some hidden message

還得神落〔还---〕 waan⁴ dak¹ san⁴ lok⁶ {hái dé shén luò}

Thank god, as said when one has avoided trouble or calamity of some kind

整鬼整怪 zing² gwai² zing² gwaai³ {zhěng guǐ zhěng guài}

verb; make faces, intentionally to fool themselves, doing some tricks

不可知論〔---论〕 bat¹ ho² zi¹ leon⁶ {bù kě zhī lùn}

agnosticism, the philosophical doctrine that some questions about the universe are in principle unanswerable

不無小補〔-无-补〕 bat¹ mou⁴ siu² bou² {bù wú xiǎo bǔ}

1. not be without some advantage
2. be of some help

千辛萬苦〔--万-〕 cin¹ san¹ maan⁶ fu² {qiān xīn wàn kǔ}

1. to suffer untold hardships (idiom); trials and tribulations
2. with difficulty
3. after some effort

採取行動〔采--动〕 coi² ceoi² hang⁴ dung⁶ {cǎi qǔ xíng dòng}

1. to take action
2. to adopt policies
3. to move on some issue

大有文章 daai⁶ jau⁵ man⁴ zoeng¹ {dà yǒu wén zhāng}

1. some deeper meaning in this
2. more to it than meets the eye
3. there's sth behind all this

多多少少 do¹ do¹ siu² siu² {duō duō shǎo shǎo}

1. to some extent
2. more or less

後會有期〔后会--〕 hau⁶ wui⁶ jau⁵ kei⁴ {hòu huì yǒu qī}

1. I'm sure we'll meet again some day. (idiom)
2. Hope to see you again.

興師動眾〔兴师动众〕 hing¹ si¹ dung⁶ zung³ {xīng shī dòng zhòng}

1. to muster large forces
2. to get a great number of people involved (in carrying out some task)

陰魂不散〔阴---〕 jam¹ wan⁴ bat¹ saan³ {yīn hún bù sàn}

1. lit. the soul of a deceased has not yet dispersed (idiom)
2. fig. the influence still lingers on
3. the spirit (of some doctrine) is still alive

因禍得福〔-祸--〕 jan¹ wo⁶ dak¹ fuk¹ {yīn huò dé fú}

1. to profit from a disaster (idiom); some good comes out of a setback
2. It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good.

人頭蛇身〔-头--〕 jan⁴ tau⁴ se⁴ san¹ {rén tóu shé shēn}

1. human head, snake's body
2. cf Nüwa 女娲氏 and Fuxi 伏羲氏 in some versions of mythology

有得有失 jau⁵ dak¹ jau⁵ sat¹ {yǒu dé yǒu shī}

1. you win some, you lose some (idiom)
2. gains and losses
3. trade-off

有所不同 jau⁵ so² bat¹ tung⁴ {yǒu suǒ bù tóng}

to differ to some extent (idiom)

留有餘地〔--余-〕 lau⁴ jau⁵ jyu⁴ dei⁶ {liú yǒu yú dì}

1. to leave some leeway
2. to allow for the unpredictable

收斂鋒芒〔-敛锋-〕 sau¹ lim⁵ fung¹ mong⁴ {shōu liǎn fēng máng}

1. to draw in one's claws
2. to show some modesty

成敗利鈍〔-败-钝〕 sing⁴ baai⁶ lei⁶ deon⁶ {chéng bài lì dùn}

1. succeed or fail, sharp or blunt (idiom); advantages and disadvantages
2. success and failure
3. You win some, you lose some.

有辣有唔辣 jau⁵ laat⁶ jau⁵ m⁴ laat⁶ {yǒu là yǒu ń là}

(adjective) something are spicy and some not

唔打唔相識〔----识〕 m⁴ daa² m⁴ soeng¹ sik¹ {ń dǎ ń xiāng shí}

lit. cannot become friends without a fight, meaning two had to go through some differences before coming to an agreement of become friends

山水有相逢 saan¹ seoi² jau⁵ soeng¹ fung⁴ {shān shuǐ yǒu xiāng féng}

(proverb) people will meet again at some point eventually, it implies not to treat others badly in order to avoid future revenge; 'paths will cross again someday'

天高皇帝遠〔----远〕 tin¹ gou¹ wong⁴ dai³ jyun⁵ {tiān gāo huáng dì yuǎn}

in remote areas, the king is too far away, it means the ruling does not reach to some places

黃土不露天〔黄----〕 wong⁴ tou² bat¹ lou⁶ tin¹ {huáng tǔ bù lù tiān}

a slogan used in reference to a project to improve greenery in some parts of Northern China

食少啖多覺瞓〔----觉-〕 sik⁶ siu² daam⁶ do¹ gaau³ fan³ {shí shǎo dàn duō jué fèn}

some risks are not worth taking (especially dangerous / unrighteous / illegit activities), it's better to be able to sleep well at night without feeling guilty

吃熊心豹子膽〔-----胆〕 hek³ hung⁴ sam¹ paau³ zi² daam² {chī xióng xīn bào zi dǎn}

1. to eat bear heart and leopard gall (idiom)
2. to pluck up some courage

蠟燭不點不亮〔蜡烛-点--〕 laap⁶ zuk¹ bat¹ dim² bat¹ loeng⁶ {là zhú bù diǎn bù liàng}

some people have to be pushed for them to take action

不到黃河心不死〔--黄----〕 bat¹ dou³ wong⁴ ho⁴ sam¹ bat¹ sei² {bù dào Huáng Hé xīn bù sǐ}

1. lit. not to stop until one reaches the Yellow River (idiom)
2. fig. to persevere until one reaches one's goal
3. to keep going while some hope is left

不見兔子不撒鷹〔-见----鹰〕 bat¹ gin³ tou³ zi² bat¹ saat³ jing¹ {bù jiàn tù zi bù sā yīng}

1. you don't release the hawk until you've seen the hare (idiom)
2. one doesn't act without some incentive

拿著雞毛當令箭〔-着鸡-当--〕 naa⁴ zoek⁶ gai¹ mou⁴ dong³ ling⁶ zin³ {ná zhe jī máo dàng lìng jiàn}

to wave a chicken feather as a token of authority (idiom); to assume unwarranted authority on the basis of some pretext

百尺竿頭，更盡一步〔---头--尽--〕 baak³ cek³ gon¹ tau⁴ ，gang³ zeon⁶ jat¹ bou⁶ {bǎi chǐ gān tóu , gèng jìn yī bù}

1. lit. hundred foot pole, progress still further (idiom); fig. much accomplished, still some work to do
2. to continue to further successes
3. not to rest on one's laurels

尺有所短，寸有所長〔--------长〕 cek³ jau⁵ so² dyun² ，cyun³ jau⁵ so² coeng⁴ {chǐ yǒu suǒ duǎn , cùn yǒu suǒ cháng}

1. lit. for some things a foot may be too short, and for the other an inch will suffice (proverb)
2. fig. everyone has their strong and weak points
3. everything has its advantages and disadvantages

沒有規矩，不成方圓〔没-规-----圆〕 mut⁶ jau⁵ kwai¹ geoi² ，bat¹ sing⁴ fong¹ jyun⁴ {méi yǒu guī ju , bù chéng fāng yuán}

without rules, nothing can be done (idiom); one must follow some rules

食之無味，棄之可惜〔--无--弃---〕 sik⁶ zi¹ mou⁴ mei⁶ ，hei³ zi¹ ho² sik¹ {shí zhī wú wèi , qì zhī kě xī}

1. lit. to be hardly worth eating, but it would still be a pity to discard it (idiom)
2. fig. some things have little to no value, yet one is still reluctant to part with them

不以規矩，不能成方圓〔--规------圆〕 bat¹ ji⁵ kwai¹ geoi² ，bat¹ nang⁴ sing⁴ fong¹ jyun⁴ {bù yǐ guī ju , bù néng chéng fāng yuán}

without rules, nothing can be done (idiom, from Mencius); one must follow some rules

沒有規矩，何以成方圓〔没-规------圆〕 mut⁶ jau⁵ kwai¹ geoi² ，ho⁴ ji⁵ sing⁴ fong¹ jyun⁴ {méi yǒu guī jǔ , hé yǐ chéng fāng yuán}

without rules, how can anything be done (idiom); one must follow some rules