事半功倍

shìbàngōngbèi
idiom #33,943

Meanings

  1. 1 half the effort, double the result
  2. 2 to achieve much with little work

Examples

Zhǎngwò fāngfǎ kěyǐ shìbàngōngbèi.
Mastering the method gets twice the result with half the work.
Yòng duì gōngjù huì shìbàngōngbèi.
Using the right tool yields twice the result for half the effort.
Zǎoqǐ xuéxí chángcháng shìbàngōngbèi.
Studying early in the morning often doubles the payoff for half the work.

Tips

history
From 《孟子·》: 'doing half what the ancients did, the effect is bound to be double' — Mencius's take on why acting at the right moment multiplies results.
mistakes
Opposite of 事倍功半 ('double effort, half result'). Students often swap them — the lucky one is (less work)(more result).

Stroke Order

shì
bàn
gōng
bèi