die liao

Singapore/ˈdaɪ˦ ljaʊ˨˩/

phrase

Used to suggest that one is doomed, or as good as dead.

Similar
die alreadysi liao
OriginHokkien 了 ← Teochew 了 ← Mandarin 了 →
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Meanings

phrase
  1. ManglishSinglishexcessiveintransitiveUsed to suggest that one is doomed, or as good as dead.

    […] the exam so hard, i die liao lah (that paper was tough as hell, i'm sure to flunk).

    2001 September 19, destrius', Everything2
    1 more example

    dont join smrt lar.. with their frequent breakdowns, they are facing alot^([sic]) of scrutiny from the public, stakeholders and regulators. anything goes wrong n they need a scapegoat den u die liao.

    2014 September 2, Unregistered, “Engineer in SMRT”, in Salary.sg Forums, archived from the original on 22 Mar 2014

    Synonyms: die already, si liao

  2. ManglishSinglishintransitiveUsed other than figuratively or idiomatically: see die, liao.

Synonyms & antonyms

phraseUsed to suggest that one is doomed, or as good as dead.

Similar
die alreadysi liao
Also see
si liao

Origin

  1. Mandarin了
  2. Teochew了
  3. Hokkien了
  4. Englishdie liao

die + liao (indicates a change of state), from Hokkien 了 (liáu) or Teochew 了 (liao²), with the tone of Mandarin 了 (liǎo). Partial calque of Hokkien 死了 (sí liáu).

More words from Hokkien, Teochew, Mandarin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

die liao. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/die%20liao

MLA

“die liao.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/die%20liao. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “die liao,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/die%20liao.

Source: die liao on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.