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 + Verb + 了

Examples

• 白 花 了 一 百 块 钱，这 件 衣服 不 能 穿。Bái huāle yībǎi kuài qián, zhè jiàn yīfú bùnéng chuān.I just wasted a hundred kuai. I can't even wear these clothes.
• 他 不 回来 吃饭 了？！我 这些 菜 白 做了。Tā bù huílái chīfànle?! Wǒ zhèxiē cài bái zuòle.He's not coming back to eat?! I made all this food for nothing.
• 你 一 句 汉语 都 不 会 说，白 学 了 这么 长 时间。Nǐ yījù Hànyǔ dōu bù huì shuō, bái xuéle zhème cháng shíjiān.You can't speak even one sentence in Chinese! All that time studying was a waste.
• 我 去 的 时候 他 不 在 家， 所以 我 白 跑 了 一 趟。Wǒ qù de shíhòu tā bù zàijiā, suǒyǐ wǒ bái pǎole yī tàng.He wasn't home when I got there, so I wasted all of that time going over there.
• 不好意思， 让 你 白 忙 了 一 个 早上，我们 老板 今天 来 不了 了。Bù hǎoyìsi, ràng nǐ bái mángle yīgè zǎoshang, wǒmen lǎobǎn jīntiān lái bùliǎole.Sorry to make you work this whole morning for nothing. Our boss just said that he couldn't come today.

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。Míngtiān bù kǎo Zhōngwén, xiǎo wáng báibái zhǔnbèile yītiān.There's no Chinese test tomorrow. Little Wang spent the whole day studying in vain.
• 他 还是 没有 听 我 的 建议， 我 白白 给 他 说 了 这么 长 时间。Tā háishì méiyǒu tīng wǒ de jiànyì, wǒ báibái gěi tā shuō le zhème cháng shíjiān.He still doesn't listen to my suggestions, I wasted such a long time talking to him.
• 他 没有 来，我 在 飞机场 白白 等 了 他 四 个 小时。Tā méiyǒu lái, wǒ zài fēijī chǎng báibái děngle tā sì gè xiǎoshí.He didn't come. I wasted four hours at the airport waiting for him.
• 父母 白白 养 了 你 这么 多 年，你 一点 也不 关心 你 的 父母。Fùmǔ báibái yǎng le nǐ zhème duōnián, nǐ yīdiǎn yě bù guānxīn nǐ de fùmǔ.Your parents raised you for so many years, just for you not to care about them at all.
• 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！Tā báibái xuéle shí nián de Yīngyǔ, tā kàn dé dǒng Yīngwén, dànshì lián jiǎndān de duìhuà dōu bù huì shuō!She spent ten years fruitlessly studying English. She can read English, but she can't even hold a simple conversation!

Sources and further reading

• 现代汉语八百词 (pp. 58) 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 →buy
• Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级) (pp. 160-161) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy

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