<p>To express “finish remaining work on hand” can use 收尾 in mandarin. And I think this is the word sounds closest to 手尾。So for 我執埋手尾就會走㗎啦, you can say 我做完收尾工作就走啦</p>

<p>唔好咁冇手尾 can be expressed as （做事）不要有头无尾</p>

<p>唔好要人跟(你)手尾 can be expressed as （做事）不要让别人帮你善后（or “擦屁股” ）</p>

<p>整傷脊椎骨就手尾長啦 probably has no similar expression.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-26T01:37:23.043Z
整傷脊椎骨就手尾長啦 in Mandarin could be 弄傷脊椎骨就後患無窮了
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-26T01:47:57.483Z
more colloquial phrase would be 弄傷脊椎骨的話後患可不少啊
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-28T02:13:16.053Z
@Tang Ho right, it's just that normally we don't say that...
sylvia
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-25T22:46:52.677Z
2019-12-25T22:46:52.677Z
sylvia
<p>手尾 is a very common Cantonese term, I would like to know what Mandarin term can be the equivalent of it.</p>
<p>The following are from CantoDict dictionary:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/46732/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">手尾</a>: (to tie up) loose ends</p>
<p><a href="http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/46574/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">冇手尾</a>: fail to finish what one has started; not cleaning up after oneself</p>
<p><a href="http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/40266/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">跟手尾</a>: to fix sb else's screwed-up work; to pick up someone's unfinished job</p>
<p><a href="http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/48034/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">執手尾</a>: to put things in order; to clean up [華]: 收拾</p>
<p><a href="http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/49371/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">手尾長</a>: a problem likely to drag on</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Example sentences:</p>
<p>唔好咁<strong>冇手尾</strong>: Don't <strong>leave behind loose ends/ unfinished job</strong> like this</p>
<p>唔好要人<strong>跟(你)手尾</strong>: Don't make people <strong>fix (your) screwed-up work</strong></p>
<p>你走先啦，我<strong>執埋手尾</strong>就會走㗎啦 : You can leave now, I'll leave after I've <strong>put every things in order</strong></p>
<p>整傷脊椎骨就<strong>手尾長</strong>啦: The problem would <strong>likely to drag on</strong> if you injury your spine</p>
<p>I have no problem translating the examples above to Mandarin (first to English, then to Mandarin), But I have problem pinpointing a single equivalent term in Mandarin. Is there one?</p>
<p>Or maybe 手尾 is so uniquely Cantonese, it cannot be translated to Mandarin as a single term, and have to be translated differently depend on the context?</p>
<p>Edit:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>手= hand ; 尾 = the last of</p>
<p>&quot;<strong>手尾</strong>&quot; literally means &quot;<strong>remaining work on hand</strong>&quot;</p>
</blockquote>
<ul>
<li><p>唔好咁<strong>冇手尾</strong>: Don't be so <strong>disregarding to the remaining work on hand</strong></p>
</li>
<li><p>你走先啦，我<strong>執埋手尾</strong>就會走㗎啦: You can leave now, I'll leave after I've <strong>finished the remaining work on hand</strong></p>
</li>
<li><p>唔好要人<strong>跟(你)手尾</strong>: Don't make people <strong>follow up on (your) remaining work on hand</strong></p>
</li>
<li><p>整傷脊椎骨就<strong>手尾長</strong>啦: if you injury your spine, <strong>your remaining work on hand will last a long time</strong></p>
</li>
</ul>

<translation><mandarin><cantonese>
Is there a Mandarin equivalent of the Cantonese term "手尾"?
# Is there a Mandarin equivalent of the Cantonese term "手尾"?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-12-25)

手尾 is a very common Cantonese term, I would like to know what Mandarin term can be the equivalent of it.

The following are from CantoDict dictionary:

> [手尾](http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/46732/): (to tie up) loose ends
>
> [冇手尾](http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/46574/): fail to finish what one has started; not cleaning up after oneself
>
> [跟手尾](http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/40266/): to fix sb else's screwed-up work; to pick up someone's unfinished job
>
> [執手尾](http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/48034/): to put things in order; to clean up [華]: 收拾
>
> [手尾長](http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/49371/): a problem likely to drag on

Example sentences:

唔好咁**冇手尾**: Don't **leave behind loose ends/ unfinished job** like this

唔好要人**跟(你)手尾**: Don't make people **fix (your) screwed-up work**

你走先啦，我**執埋手尾**就會走㗎啦 : You can leave now, I'll leave after I've **put every things in order**

整傷脊椎骨就**手尾長**啦: The problem would **likely to drag on** if you injury your spine

I have no problem translating the examples above to Mandarin (first to English, then to Mandarin), But I have problem pinpointing a single equivalent term in Mandarin. Is there one?

Or maybe 手尾 is so uniquely Cantonese, it cannot be translated to Mandarin as a single term, and have to be translated differently depend on the context?

Edit:

> 手= hand ; 尾 = the last of
>
> "**手尾**" literally means "**remaining work on hand**"

* 唔好咁**冇手尾**: Don't be so **disregarding to the remaining work on hand**
* 你走先啦，我**執埋手尾**就會走㗎啦: You can leave now, I'll leave after I've **finished the remaining work on hand**
* 唔好要人**跟(你)手尾**: Don't make people **follow up on (your) remaining work on hand**
* 整傷脊椎骨就**手尾長**啦: if you injury your spine, **your remaining work on hand will last a long time**

**Tags:** translation, mandarin, cantonese


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2019-12-25. Score: 1

To express “finish remaining work on hand” can use 收尾 in mandarin. And I think this is the word sounds closest to 手尾。So for 我執埋手尾就會走㗎啦, you can say 我做完收尾工作就走啦

唔好咁冇手尾 can be expressed as （做事）不要有头无尾

唔好要人跟(你)手尾 can be expressed as （做事）不要让别人帮你善后（or “擦屁股” ）

整傷脊椎骨就手尾長啦 probably has no similar expression.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: 整傷脊椎骨就手尾長啦 in Mandarin could be 弄傷脊椎骨就後患無窮了  
> **username_0**: more colloquial phrase would be 弄傷脊椎骨的話後患可不少啊  
> **username_1**: @username_0 right, it's just that normally we don't say that...  

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