Expressing wasted efforts with "bai"

白 (bái) doesn't only mean "white". When added before a verb it means to do that verb "in vain" or "with no effect". In a certain way, you can think of 白 as not being just "white" but also "blank", like when you do something for a long time without thinking, and you're just going through the motions. It's like doing something with a "blank" mind.

Structure with just 白

All you have to do is but 白 before the verb.One important thing to note is that 白 is usually used with mono-syllabic words, like 帮, 做, 学 etc. You cannot put a 地 after 白.

白+V.

Examples

• 白 花 了 一 百 块 钱，这 件 衣服 不 能 穿。I just wasted a hundred kuai. I can't even wear these clothes.
• 白 写 了 两 个 小时 的 报告，老板 不 需要 了。I just spent two hours writing this report for nothing. The boss doesn't need it.
• 他 不 来 吃 饭 了，我 这 些 菜 白 做了。He's not coming to eat anymore, I made all this food for nothing.
• 你 一 句 汉语 都 不 会 说，白 学 了 这么 长 时间。You can't speak even one sentence in Chinese, wasting all of that time studying.

Structure with 白白

白 can also be replaced with 白白, and they are basically the same, though 白白 has a stronger emphasis on the "wasted effort." 白白 also is usually paired with a disyllabic word, like 帮助, 准备, 学习 etc. Unlike 白, 白白 can be used with a 地.

Examples

• 明天 不 考 中文， 小王 白白 准备 了 一 天。There's not a Chinese test tomorrow. Little Wang studied the whole day in vain.
• 他 没 有 来，我 在 飞机场 白白 地 等 了 他 四 个 小时。He hasn't come. I wasted four hours at the airport waiting for him.
• 她 白白 学 了 十 年 的 英语， 她 看得懂 英文，但是 连 简单 的 对话 都 不 会 说！She spent ten years fruitlessly studying English. She can read English, but she can't even speak a simple sentence.

Sources and further reading

• 现代汉语八百词 (p.58) →buy
• Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级) (p.160-161) →buy

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