Expressing wasted efforts with 白 ("bai2")

白 bái

Adverb

HSK 4

Structure

白 + Verb + 了白白 + Verb + 了

表示做某事没有达到预期效果或徒劳无功，通常与动词搭配使用，强调付出没有得到回报。

Indicates that doing something yields no expected result or is futile, often used with verbs to emphasize that the effort was in vain.

“白”一般放在动词前面，表示动作的结果是无效的或浪费了时间、精力等。常见结构：白 + 动词。

'白' is typically placed before a verb to indicate that the action's result is ineffective or that time/effort was wasted. Common structure: 白 + verb.

1 白忙了一整天，结果什么也没做成。 (I was busy all day for nothing, and ended up accomplishing nothing.)
2 他白跑了一趟，商店已经关门了。 (He made a wasted trip; the store was already closed.)
3 别白费力气了，这件事不可能成功。 (Don't waste your energy; this will never succeed.)
4 我白花了一百块钱，买了个没用的东西。 (I wasted a hundred yuan on something useless.)
5 她白等了他两个小时，他根本没来。 (She waited for him in vain for two hours; he never showed up.)

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