in vain; merely
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 6 examplesadverb
in vain; to no avail; fruitlessly
Describes an action that consumes effort or resources but yields no result or benefit.
Zhè这
yàng样
zuò做
zhǐ只
shì是
tú徒
rán然
hào耗
fèi费
jīng精
lì力
。
Doing this is merely a waste of energy.
Wǒ我
men们
děng等
dài待
le了
bàn半
tiān天
，
què却
tú徒
rán然
wú无
gōng功
。
We waited for a long time, but it was all in vain.
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Bù不
yào要
tú徒
rán然
bēi悲
shāng伤
，
hái还
shì是
xiǎng想
xiǎng想
jiě解
jué决
bàn办
fǎ法
ba吧
。
Don't grieve to no purpose; instead, think of a solution.
adverb
merely; only; simply
Indicates that an action or situation is limited in scope or only favors one side, often implying insufficiency or imbalance.
Rú如
guǒ果
nà那
me么
bàn办
，
tú徒
rán然
yǒu有
lì利
yú于
duì对
fāng方
。
If we do it that way, it merely benefits the other party.
Zhè这
yàng样
zuò做
tú徒
rán然
zēng增
jiā加
chéng成
běn本
，
méi没
yǒu有
rèn任
hé何
shí实
jì际
hǎo好
chu处
。
This simply increases costs without any real benefit.
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Nǐ你
bù不
xué学
xí习
，
qù去
tú图
shū书
guǎn馆
tú徒
rán然
làng浪
fèi费
shí时
jiān间
。
If you don't study, going to the library is just a waste of time.