baak6 fai3白費白费
Jyutpingbaak6 fai3
Yalebaahk fai
Definition
To waste time, effort, or energy on something that turns out to be pointless.
colloquialdaily actionsemotion
How it's used
Focuses specifically on the futility of effort or time spent rather than the physical loss of material goods. It often appears with the intensifier 晒 to emphasize that every bit of effort has been completely lost. While it can apply to various situations, it is most commonly used when someone has invested significant emotional energy or planning into a goal that fails to materialize.
Examples
I spent the whole night doing homework, only for it all to be in vain.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 浪費, which is a broader term for wasting resources like money, food, or water. Use 白費 specifically for abstract investments like time, energy, or good intentions.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
