得不偿失 (dé bù cháng shī) — the gains do not make up for the losses; the cost outweighs the benefit
Definition
A chengyu used to judge a trade-off: the gain is not worth the loss. Use it to warn against actions whose downsides outweigh any small upside.
phrase
the gains do not make up for the lossesthe cost outweighs the benefit
Examples
- ，，得不偿失。Rú guǒ wèi le shěng qián ér mǎi pián yi huò, zuì hòu huài le zài mǎi, zhēn shì dé bù cháng shī.If you buy cheap goods to save money, and then they break and you have to buy again, it's truly a case where the gains don't make up for the losses.
- ，，得不偿失。Tā wèi le duō zhuàn yì diǎn qián ér fàng qì xiū xi shí jiān, jié guǒ shēn tǐ gǎo huài le, zhēn shì dé bù cháng shī.He gave up rest time to earn a little more money, and ended up ruining his health — truly the gains don't make up for the losses.
- ，，得不偿失。Yòng gāo jià mǎi dī zhì liàng de chǎn pǐn, zuì hòu hái yào huā qián xiū lǐ, zhēn shì dé bù cháng shī.Buying low-quality products at high prices and then having to spend money on repairs — truly the gains don't make up for the losses.
Appears in
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