白白 (bái bái) — in vain, for nothing, to no purpose
Definition
Adverb meaning 'in vain, for nothing' — emphasizes wasted effort with no result. Similar to the adverbial sense of 白 (bái) and 瞎, but 白白 is reduplicated for a softer, more expressive tone.
adverb
in vainfor nothingto no purpose
Examples
- ，白白，。Tā xīn kǔ le yì zhěng tiān, bái bái gān le sān tiān, jié guǒ lǎo bǎn bú fù qián.He worked hard for three days in vain, and in the end the boss didn't pay.
- 白白，。Bié bái bái dān xīn le, shì qing yǐ jīng jiě jué le.Don't worry for nothing — the matter has been resolved.
- ，白白。Rú guǒ xiàn zài fàng qì, zhī qián de nǔ lì jiù bái bái làng fèi le.If you give up now, all your previous effort will be wasted for nothing.
Grammar
Appears in
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