白费 (bái fèi) — to waste (time, effort, money, etc.) in vain; to be futile

Definition

Means effort or time was spent but produced no result ('wasted in vain'). 浪费 is the everyday 'to waste'; 白费 adds the idea of futility — the effort was pointless.

verb
to waste (time, effort, money, etc.) in vainto be futile

Examples

  • 白费，。
    Bié bái fèi shí jiān le, kuài zǒu ba.
    Don't waste time — let's go.
  • 白费。
    Tā de nǔ lì quán dōu bái fèi le.
    All his efforts went to waste.
  • 白费。
    Bú yào bái fèi lì qi gēn tā jiě shì.
    Don't waste your breath explaining to him.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

白báiin vain
费fèispend or waste

白 gives the sense of in vain, and 费 means to spend or waste.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

白 is thought to picture either an acorn or a human head.

Open 白 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 費; 费 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèicowry
Sound part声符shēngfú
弗
弗fú費fèi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 費 has 貝, a cowry shell, and 弗, which gives a sound; the simplified 费 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the original pieces.

Open 费 →

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