baak6 zou6白做

Jyutpingbaak6 zou6

Yalebaahk jouh

動詞

Definition

To work in vain, making no profit or progress, resulting in a waste of time and effort.

colloquialworkdaily actions

How it's used

Focuses specifically on the frustration of wasted effort or lack of tangible results. It often implies that the outcome was beyond the speaker's control, such as a sudden change in plans or an external obstacle. It is frequently used to express resignation or annoyance after realizing that time and energy have been squandered.

Examples

le1呢daan1單saang1生ji3意gaau2搞zo2咗gam3咁noi6耐，zeoi3最hau6後ging2竟jin4然baak6白zou6做。

We spent so long on this deal, only for it to be all for nothing.

nei5你m4唔hou2好baak6白zou6做laa1啦，keoi5佢gan1根bun2本m4唔wui2會teng1聽nei5你gong2講。

Don't waste your effort; he won't listen to you at all.

Common phrases

baak6白zou6做jat1一coeng4場

all that work for nothing

baak6白zou6做gung1工

to work for free

Common mistake

Do not confuse this with 冇用, which describes something as useless or ineffective. 白做 emphasizes the act of performing the work itself without receiving the expected reward, whereas 冇用 describes the quality or nature of the thing being used.