Chinese word dictionary

得不偿失

débùchángshī · the gains do not make up for the losses (idiom)

Word information

Simplified得不偿失
Traditional得不償失
Pinyindébùchángshī
Part of speechv
HSK 3.07-9
HSK 2.06

How to learn 得不偿失

Listen once without reading, repeat the pinyin with its tones, then write every character in sequence. Finally, recall the complete meaning instead of memorizing each character as an isolated translation.

When the word appears in a sentence, check whether its part of speech and meaning match the definition shown here. Chinese words can change nuance with context.