無情雞

Chinese

		to be merciless; to be ruthless; to be heartless	fowl; chicken
trad. (無情雞/無情鷄)		無情	雞/鷄
simp. (无情鸡)		无情	鸡
Literally: “merciless chicken”.

Etymology

According to customs in southern China, on the dinner party that an employer holds for the employees before the Chinese New Year (尾牙 (wěiyá)), chicken is a common dish. When the employer decides to dismiss someone after Chinese New Year, he/she may point the chicken head at that employee or give a piece of chicken to him/her as a hint.

Pronunciation

• Cantonese (Jyutping): mou⁴ cing⁴ gai¹

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• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: mou⁴ cing⁴ gai¹
    • Yale: mòuh chìhng gāi
    • Cantonese Pinyin: mou⁴ tsing⁴ gai¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: mou⁴ qing⁴ gei¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mou̯²¹ t͡sʰɪŋ²¹ kɐi̯⁵⁵/

Noun

無情雞

1. (Cantonese) dismissal; termination of employment; pink slip

Derived terms

• 食無情雞 / 食无情鸡 (sik⁶ mou⁴ cing⁴ gai¹) (Cantonese)

 

See also

• 肥雞餐 / 肥鸡餐 (fei⁴ gai¹ caan¹)