事倍功半
shì bèi gōng bàn
twice the work, half the result
Character by character
事shì
work
work
倍bèi
double
double
功gōng
result
result
半bàn
half
half
Example
方法不对，只会事倍功半。
With the wrong method, you just do twice the work for half the result.
Tone: negative (criticism).
Usage and origin
Mirror image of 事半功倍; both often follow 方法对了 or 方法不对.
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