得不偿失

• Pinyin: dé bù cháng shī
• Hanzi breakdown: 得 = 彳 + 旦 + 寸 (to obtain, gain); 偿 = 亻 + 赏 (to compensate, repay); 失 = hand losing grip (to lose)

Meaning

The gain does not compensate for the loss; not worth the effort or sacrifice. A four-character idiom describing situations where the cost or harm clearly outweighs any benefit.

A very common chengyu used to evaluate decisions, strategies, or trade-offs. Applicable in business, personal decisions, policy debates, and everyday advice. Implies a poor cost-benefit ratio and serves as a concise way to caution against a course of action.

Examples

1. 为了省几块钱而花数小时排队，这样做实在得不偿失。 Spending several hours in line just to save a few dollars really is not worth the cost.
2. 牺牲健康去换取短暂的财富，这种做法完全是得不偿失。 Sacrificing one's health in exchange for short-term wealth is completely not worth it.
3. 专家指出，该政策的副作用远大于其收益，可谓得不偿失。 Experts pointed out that the side effects of this policy far outweigh its benefits; it is truly a case where the loss outweighs the gain.

Usage Guide

Context: decision-making, business, advice, policy

Tone: evaluative

Do Say

• 这样做得不偿失。(Doing it this way isn't worth the cost.)
• 长远来看，这是得不偿失的。(In the long run, the cost outweighs the gain.)

Don't Say

• 我得不偿失了 as if it were a personal verb — use 这对我来说得不偿失 or 我这样做得不偿失 to complete the predicate structure

Origin & History

得 (to gain) + 不 (not) + 偿 (to compensate, repay) + 失 (loss). Meaning the gains do not make up for what was lost.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal