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- <p>白 (bái) doesn't only mean "white." When added before a verb it means to do that verb "in vain" or "with no effect." In a certain way, you can think of 白 as not being just "white" but also "blank," like when you do something for a long time without thinking, and you're just going through the motions. It's like doing something with a "blank" mind.</p>
- <h2 id="structure-with-just-白">Structure with just 白</h2>
- <p>All you have to do is but 白 before the verb.One important thing to note is that 白 is usually used with mono-syllabic words, like 帮, 做, 学 etc. You cannot put a 地 after 白.</p>
- <div class="jiegou">
- <p>白 + Verb + 了</p>
- </div>
- <h3 id="examples">Examples</h3>
- <div class="liju">
- <ul>
- <li><em>白</em> 花 了 一 百 块 钱，这 件 衣服 不 能 穿。<span class="trans">I just wasted a hundred kuai. I can't even wear these clothes.</span></li>
- <li>他 不 回来 吃饭 了？！我 这些 菜 <em>白</em> 做了。<span class="trans">He's not coming back to eat？！I made all this food for nothing.</span></li>
- <li>你 一 句 汉语 都 不 会 说，<em>白</em> 学 了 这么 长 时间。<span class="trans">You can't speak even one sentence in Chinese, wasting all of that time studying.</span></li>
- <li>我 去 的 时候 他 不 在 家， 所以 我 白 跑 了 一 趟。<span class="trans">He wasn't home when I got there, so I wasted all of that time going over there.</span></li>
- <li>不好意思， 让 你 <em>白</em> 忙 了 一 个 早上，我们 老板 今天 来 不了 了。<span class="trans">Sorry to make you work this whole morning for nothing. Our boss just said that he couldn't come today.</span></li>
- </ul>
- </div>
- <h2 id="structure-with-白白">Structure with 白白</h2>
- <p>白 can also be replaced with 白白, and they are basically the same, though 白白 has a stronger emphasis on the "wasted effort." 白白 also is usually paired with a disyllabic word, like 帮助, 准备, 学习 etc. Unlike 白, 白白 can be used with a 地.</p>
- <h3 id="examples-1">Examples</h3>
- <div class="liju">
- <ul>
- <li>明天 不 考 中文， 小王 <em>白白</em> 准备 了 一 天。<span class="trans">There's not a Chinese test tomorrow. Little Wang studied the whole day in vain.</span></li>
- <li>他 没有 来，我 在 飞机场 <em>白白</em> 等 了 他 四 个 小时。<span class="trans">He hasn't come. I wasted four hours at the airport waiting for him.</span></li>
- <li>她 <em>白白</em> 学 了 十 年 的 英语， 她 看得懂 英文，但是 连 简单 的 对话 都 不 会 说！<span class="trans">She spent ten years fruitlessly studying English. She can read English, but she can't even speak a simple sentence.</span></li>
- </ul>
- </div>
- <h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and further reading</h2>
- <ul>
- <li><a href="现代汉语八百词" class="uri" title="wikilink">现代汉语八百词</a> (p.58) <a href="http://www.amazon.cn/mn/detailApp?_encoding=UTF8&tag=allset-23&linkCode=as2&asin=B001198GSW&camp=536&creative=3132&creativeASIN=B001198GSW">→buy</a></li>
- <li><a href="Chinese_Grammar_-_Broken_down_into_100_items_-_Basic_and_Intermediate_Levels_(汉语语法百项讲练_-_初中级)" title="wikilink">Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级)</a> (p.160-161) <a href="http://www.amazon.cn/gp/product/B004WA6JSQ/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-23&linkCode=as2&camp=536&creative=3132&creativeASIN=B004WA6JSQ">→buy</a></li>
- </ul>
- <p> </p>
- <p><a href="Category:B2_grammar_points" title="wikilink">Category:B2 grammar points</a></p>
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