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白费

白費
báifèi
verb #7,818

Meanings

  1. 1 to waste; to spend in vain
  2. 2 to be a waste of (effort, money, time)

Characters

白
bái
white; in vain; for nothing
费
fèi
to spend; to waste; expense
In vain + spend — to waste effort or resources for nothing

Examples

你这样做是白费力气。
Nǐ zhèyàng zuò shì báifèi lìqì.
What you're doing is a waste of effort.
别白费口舌了，他不会听的。
Bié báifèi kǒushé le, tā bú huì tīng de.
Don't waste your breath, he won't listen.
白费了这么多钱，什么都没买到。
Báifèi le zhème duō qián, shénme dōu méi mǎi dào.
Wasted so much money and didn't buy anything.

Tips

usage
Common collocations: 白费力气 (waste effort), 白费口舌 (waste one's breath), 白费心机 (waste one's scheming). The 白 here means 'in vain,' not 'white.'
grammar
白 as an adverb meaning 'in vain/for nothing' appears in many expressions: 白跑一趟 (make a wasted trip), 白干 (work for nothing), 白等 (wait for nothing).

Stroke Order

白 bái
费 fèi