得不偿失 (débùchángshī) · the gains don't make up for the losses

得不偿失 (débùchángshī) means “the gains don't make up for the losses”. It is written with 4 characters: 得 (to get) + 不 (not) + 偿 (to repay) + 失 (to lose). It is an old HSK 6 word (HSK 2.0).

How 得不偿失 is built

The characters

得 dé · to get

What 得 is made of

彳chì — to step with the left foot
- 丨 — vertical stroke
旦dàn — dawn
- 日rì — sun; day
  - 口kǒu — mouth
  - 一 — horizontal stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
寸cùn — inch

Origin hint: A hand 寸 grabbing a shell 旦 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

不 bù · not

What 不 is made of

一 — horizontal stroke

Origin hint: A bird flying toward the sky 一 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

偿 cháng · to repay

What 偿 is made of

亻rén — person
尝cháng — to taste
- 尚shàng — still
- 云yún — cloud
  - 二 — two strokes
  - 厶sī — private

失 shī · to lose

What 失 is made of

丿 — falling stroke
夫fū — man
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 大dà — big
  - 一 — horizontal stroke
  - 人rén — person

Origin hint: Something 丿 falling from a hand 夫 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

Example sentences

为了省钱而生病，真是得不偿失。Wèile shěng qián ér shēngbìng, zhēn shì débùchángshī.Getting sick to save money really isn't worth it.

熬夜学习有时得不偿失。Áoyè xuéxí yǒushí débùchángshī.Staying up late to study is sometimes counterproductive.

Questions about 得不偿失

What does 得不偿失 mean?

得不偿失 (débùchángshī) means “the gains don't make up for the losses”.

How do you pronounce 得不偿失?

得不偿失 is pronounced débùchángshī.

Which HSK level is 得不偿失?

得不偿失 is in Old HSK 6.

Related words

Learn 得不偿失 with its group

It is part of Old HSK 6 · Group 40: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.

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