帮倒忙

幫倒忙
bāngdàománg
verb #15,806

Meanings

  1. 1 to be more of a hindrance than a help
  2. 2 to do sb a disservice while trying to help

Examples

Nǐ bié bāngdàománg le, ràngwǒ zìjǐ lái ba.
Stop making things worse — let me do it myself.
Tā běnlái xiǎng bāngmáng bānjiā, jiéguǒ bāngdàománg le.
He meant to help with the move, but ended up making things worse.

Tips

grammar
帮倒忙 is a verb-object compound. (help) + (reverse/counterproductive busy-work). It's often used as in past tense contexts.
usage
Used when someone's good intentions backfire. The tone is usually lighthearted or mildly exasperated, not accusatory.

Stroke Order

bāng
dǎo
máng