得不偿失 meaning in English
the gains do not make up for the losses (idiom)
Meaning of 得不偿失
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
débùchángshī
- the gains do not make up for the losses (idiom)
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
得 dé · to obtain · 11 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
不 bù · no · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
偿 cháng · to repay · 11 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
失 shī · to lose · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Related words
Words that share a character with 得不偿失.
| 觉得 | juéde | to think that ...; to feel that ...; to feel (uncomfortable etc) |
| 对不起 | duìbuqǐ | I'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon; to let (sb) down; to disappoint |
| 得到 | dédào | to get; to obtain; to receive |
| 是不是 | shì bu shì | is or is not (used to form yes-no questions) |
| 不用 | bùyòng | need not |
| 记得 | jìde | to remember |
| 不大 | bù dà | not very (clear, far away etc); not too; not often; infrequently |
| 不对 | bùduì | incorrect; wrong |
| 不客气 | bù kèqì | you're welcome; don't mention it |
| 不要 | bùyào | don't!; must not |
| 不过 | bùguò | only; merely |
| 不错 | bùcuò | correct; right |
Questions about 得不偿失
What does 得不偿失 mean?
得不偿失 (débùchángshī) means "the gains do not make up for the losses (idiom)".
How do you write 得不偿失?
得不偿失 is made of 4 characters: 得 (11 strokes), 不 (4 strokes), 偿 (11 strokes), 失 (5 strokes). That is 31 strokes in total.
Is 得不偿失 an HSK word?
Yes. 得不偿失 is on the HSK 7-9 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 得不偿失 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 得不偿失 is written 得不償失.