白
bái
White; in vain (to do something)
How to say “wasted effort” in Chinese with 白 (bái)
白 (bái) + Verb Phrase
白 (bái) — wasted effort
HSK 5Adverbs
白 (bái) + Verb Phrase
HSK 5Adverbs白 (bái) — wasted effort
Rule structure
白 (bái) is an adverb meaning "in vain, for nothing, to no avail". It indicates that an action was done but yielded no result or benefit.
Rule structure
白 (bái) is an adverb meaning "in vain, for nothing, to no avail". It indicates that an action was done but yielded no result or benefit.
Examples
他白跑了一趟，人不在。
Tā bái pǎo le yī tàng, rén bù zài.
He made a wasted trip; the person wasn’t there.
Examples
他白跑了一趟，人不在。
Tā bái pǎo le yī tàng, rén bù zài.
He made a wasted trip; the person wasn’t there.
Practice
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Characters
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Frequently asked questions
How do you say “wasted effort” in Chinese with 白?
Use the structure: 白 (bái) + Verb Phrase. For example: 他白跑了一趟，人不在。 — “He made a wasted trip; the person wasn’t there”.
What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?
他白跑了一趟，人不在。 — “He made a wasted trip; the person wasn’t there”.
Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?
This grammar rule is part of HSK 5.
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More HSK 5 grammar rules
还…呢 — still in progress
Subj. + 还 (hái) + Predicate + 呢 (ne)
干脆 — just do it
干脆 (gāncuì) + Verb Phrase
都…还 — already, and still
Subj. + 都 (dōu) + Predicate
再也不 — never again
Subj. + 再也 (zài yě) + 不 (bù) + Verb Phrase + 了 (le)
再不 — last chance with “if not… then…”
Subj. + 再不 (zài bù) + Verb Phrase, 就 (jiù) + result
好不容易 — difficulty, “finally”
好不容易 (hǎo bù róngyì) / 好容易 (hǎo róngyì) + 才 (cái) + Verb Phrase
总 — always, all the time
总 (zǒng) + Verb Phrase
毕竟 — after all
毕竟 (bìjìng) + Clause