baak6 fai3 lik6 hei3白費力氣白费力气

Jyutpingbaak6 fai3 lik6 hei3

Yalebaahk fai lihk hei

Definition

To waste one's energy, or for all of one's labor to be in vain.

colloquialdaily actionsdescriptions

How it's used

Focuses on the futility of an action rather than just the loss of time. It is often used to warn someone that their intended course of action will not yield any results, regardless of how much effort they put in. The structure often pairs with the particle 㗎咋 to emphasize that the effort is truly pointless.

Examples

nei5你tung4同keoi5佢gong2講dou1都hai6係baak6白fai3費lik6力hei3氣㗎zaa3咋。

Talking to him is just a waste of your effort.

ngo5我zou6做zo2咗gam3咁noi6耐，m4唔tung1通zan1真hai6係baak6白fai3費lik6力hei3氣？

I've been working on this for so long, is it really all in vain?

Common phrases

jyun4完cyun4全baak6白fai3費lik6力hei3氣

a complete waste of effort

Common mistake

Avoid using this to describe simple laziness or lack of effort. It specifically implies that the effort was exerted but failed to achieve the desired outcome, whereas 懶惰 refers to not putting in effort at all.