Hong Kong life making you stressed, run-down or irritable? You may be full of ‘hot air’

Hongkongers don’t bite their tongues when it comes to diagnosing ailments such as tiredness, dryness and nosebleeds. You have ‘jit hei’

Fear not, there are cures for this internal affliction – tea, or perhaps something stronger

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Exhaustion, dry eyes and other minor ailments are often attributed to the build-up of hot and damp in the body in Hong Kong. Photo: Shutterstock

Luisa Tam

Luisa Tam has been a journalist for more than 30 years.

Published: 11:00am, 8 Feb 2020Updated: 11:58am, 8 Feb 2020

Before the deadly coronavirus outbreak, whenever people in Hong Kong complained about feeling slightly ill with symptoms such as sore throat or fatigue, they would most likely be told by locals they were actually suffering from jit hei or “hot air” in English.

In Cantonese, being told that you are full of hot air means your internal system has accumulated too much heat and dampness.

A show of tiredness can lead to a rapid diagnosis of jit hei in Hong Kong. Photo: Shutterstock

As crazy as it may sound, jit hei – pronounced yeet hey – seems to be the common cause of a wide range of minor physical complaints such as tiredness, skin breakouts, sore and dry eyes and nosebleeds, just to name a few.

Even involuntary lip-biting is attributed to this ailment. Many of us have unconsciously bitten our lips or tongue while eating, and most of us think it’s “no big deal”, right? And most people in the West would simply assume that it’s because we were eating too fast.

That might be the case, but if you are in Hong Kong, your local friends would most likely tell you that it was due to no other reason than jit hei.