zaan6 dak1 go3賺得個赚得个

Jyutpingzaan6 dak1 go3

Yalejaahn dāk go

Definition

Only to end up in; to have a certain result as the only outcome.

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How it's used

This expression is used to highlight a sense of futility or a disappointing outcome after significant effort. It implies that the final result is disproportionately small or completely empty compared to the investment of time or resources. It is almost exclusively paired with the word 吉 to emphasize the lack of any tangible gain.

Examples

keoi5佢gaau2搞zo2咗seng4成maan5晚，zaan6賺dak1得go3個gat1吉。

He spent the whole night working on it, only to end up with nothing.

nei5你gam3咁joeng2樣zou6做，hai6係mai6咪zaan6賺dak1得go3個gat1吉aa4呀？

Doing it this way, are you just going to end up with nothing?

Common phrases

zaan6賺dak1得go3個gat1吉

to end up with nothing

Common mistake

Learners often mistake this for a literal verb phrase about earning money, but it is idiomatic and carries a sarcastic or weary tone about wasted effort. It cannot be used to describe actual financial profit.