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白费力气
bái fèi lì qi◆idiom
waste one's effort
你这样努力学习却不复习，简直是白费力气。
You're studying hard but not reviewing—it's just a waste of effort.
informal
To make a futile effort; to work hard but achieve nothing.
明明知道他不会来，你还等什么，这不是白费力气吗？
You know he won't come—why are you waiting? Isn't this a waste of effort?
他想说服老板，但老板根本不听，他这下白费力气了。
He tried to convince the boss, but the boss wouldn't listen—he wasted his effort.
Often used to describe situations where someone tries hard but fails to achieve a result due to external factors (e.g., indifference, impossibility).
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
When to use
Use '白费力气' when someone's effort is clearly in vain due to circumstances beyond their control (e.g., indifference, impossibility). Avoid using it for situations where failure is due to personal mistakes.
Gold Rule
Idiom vs. Literal Meaning
Remember that '白费力气' is an idiom. Literally, it means 'to spend effort in vain,' but it implies a deeper sense of futility, often tied to external rejection or impossibility.
Word Origin
The idiom originates from classical Chinese, where '白' means 'in vain' and '费力气' means 'exert effort.' Combined, it conveys the futility of one's labor.
Usage Notes
Commonly used in both spoken and written Chinese to express frustration or resignation when efforts yield no results. Often paired with verbs like '做' (do), '努力' (try hard), or '尝试' (attempt).
Word Breakdown
白
in vain / for nothing
adverb费
to spend / to waste
verb力气
effort / strength
noun汉英词典