浪费

• Pinyin: làng fèi
• Hanzi breakdown: 浪 = 氵(water) + 良 (good, phonetic); 费 = 弗 (not) + 贝 (shell/money), spending away one's wealth

Meaning

To waste; to squander. Refers to using time, money, or resources carelessly or excessively.

Used broadly for wasting anything — time, money, food, effort, or opportunities. Very common in everyday conversation and often carries a tone of mild criticism. Can be used both as a verb (浪费钱 = waste money) and as an adjective-like predicate (太浪费了 = so wasteful).

Examples

1. 不要浪费时间，快点儿写作业吧。 Don't waste time — hurry up and do your homework.
2. 这么多饭菜，扔掉太浪费了。 So much food — throwing it away would be such a waste.
3. 他总是浪费钱买没用的东西。 He always wastes money buying useless things.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, criticism, advice

Tone: disapproving

Do Say

• 别浪费食物，吃多少拿多少。(Don't waste food — take only as much as you'll eat.)
• 浪费时间就是浪费生命。(Wasting time is wasting life.)

Don't Say

• 我浪费了一个好梦。(Don't use 浪费 for abstract experiences like dreams — 浪费 applies to tangible resources like time, money, food, or effort.)

Origin & History

浪 originally meant waves (as in 波浪), implying excess and overflow; 费 means to spend or expend. Together they suggest spending that overflows like waves — excessive and uncontrolled.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal