WordTaiwan frequency #22,128
得不償失
ㄉㄜˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄔㄤˊ ㄕ
“the effort or cost outweighs the gain; more is lost than gained”
AI-written definition, grounded in Unihan and Moedict. How this works
§
Characters in this word
4 characters · tap any to see its full entry
得
˙ㄉㄜ
Structural particle linking verb/adjective to effect or degree; to obtain, get, gain; suitable; proud; contented; to allow; must, ought to.
不
ㄅㄨˋ
Function word; no; not; un-; negative prefix; used to form questions or emphasize a statement; sometimes used for rhythm.
償
ㄔㄤˊ
to repay a debt or favor; to compensate for a loss or wrongdoing; to fulfill a wish or hope; the price or reward for something.
失
ㄕ
To lose; to miss an opportunity or event; to fail; to make a mistake or error; to neglect; to be unable to find.
§
Words sharing these characters
Vocabulary built from the same characters — most common first
- 覺得ㄐㄩㄝˊ ˙ㄉㄜto think that; to feel that; to feel (uncomfortable, etc.); to consider; to sense
- 不會ㄅㄨˋ ㄏㄨㄟˋwill not; not going to; cannot; not able to; (Tw) don't mention it; not at all
- 不同ㄅㄨˋ ㄊㄨㄥˊnot the same; different; distinct; not alike.
- 不過ㄅㄨˋ ㄍㄨㄛˋonly; merely; no more than; but; however; anyway; cannot be more (after adjectives); extremely (after adjectives); unable to complete or bear (after verbs)
- 不能ㄅㄨˋ ㄋㄥˊcannot; must not; should not; unable to; less capable; inferior ability
- 不要ㄅㄨˋ ㄧㄠˋdon't; must not; used to tell someone not to do something; a polite way to advise against an action.
- 獲得ㄏㄨㄛˋ ㄉㄜˊto obtain; to get; to receive; to acquire something through effort or action.
- 不斷ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄨㄢˋcontinuously; without interruption; unceasingly; constantly; in a continuous manner
- 不少ㄅㄨˋ ㄕㄠˇmany; quite a few; a good number of; not a small amount
- 不僅ㄅㄨˋ ㄐㄧㄣˇnot only; not just; not limited to; used as a correlative conjunction meaning 'not only … but also …'
- 得到ㄉㄜˊ ㄉㄠˋto get; to obtain; to receive; to gain something through effort or as a result
- 不再ㄅㄨˋ ㄗㄞˋno longer; not anymore; not again; not continuing; not repeating