费力不讨好
Traditional form:
費力不討好
Pinyin (reading):
fèilìbùtǎohǎo
Definitions:
- arduous and thankless task (idiom); strenuous and unrewarding
Characters:
- 费 - expenses, fees; to cost, to spend; wasteful
- 力 - strength, power; capability, influence
- 不 - no, not, un-; negative prefix
- 讨 - to haggle, to discuss; to demand, to ask for
- 好 - good, excellent, fine; proper, suitable; well
Traditional characters: