How to say “in vain” in Chinese
in vain; for nothing
“In vain” in Chinese is 白白, bái bái: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
白白 is read bái bái: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “白白”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 白白. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 我白白等了他两个小时wǒbáibáiděngletāliǎnggexiǎoshíI waited two hours for him for nothing.
More words from the lesson “Barely and in vain”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “in vain” in Chinese?
“In vain” in Chinese is 白白, pinyin báibái.
What does 白白 mean?
白白 (báibái) means “in vain; for nothing”.
How do you write 白白?
白白 is 2 characters: 白 (bái) — white. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 白白?
白白 is read báibái. Tones: bái — second tone, bái — second tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“in vain” in the lesson “Barely and in vain”
This word is from the topic “Adverbs: exactly how” of HSK 6. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
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