吹水

chuīshuǐ

verb

Meanings

1 to chat idly
2 to shoot the breeze
3 to talk nonsense (Cantonese)

Characters

to blow / boast

Examples

我们在茶餐厅吹水吹了两个小时。

Wǒmen zài chácāntīng chuīshuǐ chuīle liǎng gè xiǎoshí.

We sat in the cha chaan teng shooting the breeze for two hours.

别吹水了，你根本没见过他。

Bié chuīshuǐ le, nǐ gēnběn méi jiàn guò tā.

Stop talking nonsense — you've never even met him.

下班和同事吹吹水挺放松的。

Xiàbān hé tóngshì chuī chuī shuǐ tǐng fàngsōng de.

Chatting with coworkers after work is pretty relaxing.

Tips

register

Cantonese 吹水 (ceoi1 seoi2) carries two shades: harmless idle chat AND boastful exaggeration. The Mandarin equivalent of the 'chat' sense is 聊天 / 唠嗑; the 'BS' sense is 吹牛.

culture

Staple HK café (茶餐厅) vocabulary — the whole social ritual of lingering over milk tea is called 吹水. The term has crossed over into mainland Mandarin via HK film and TVB drama.

Stroke Order

吹 chuī

水 shuǐ