得不偿丧 The gain does not compensate for the loss
Explanation
所得的利益抵偿不了所受的损失。
The profit obtained does not compensate for the losses incurred.
Origin Story
话说有个年轻的商人，他听说远方有个富饶的市场，便决定去那里经商。他带着全部家当，历经千辛万苦，终于到达了目的地。然而，他发现那里的竞争非常激烈，他的商品根本卖不出去。不仅如此，他还被当地的小偷盯上了，损失了不少钱财。最后，他不得不以低价处理剩下的货物，灰溜溜地回到了家乡。他这次经商之旅，不仅没有赚到钱，反而赔了不少，真是得不偿丧。他这才明白，经商不能盲目跟风，要先做好充分的市场调查，才能避免损失。
Once upon a time, a young merchant heard of a rich market far away and decided to go there to do business. He took all his belongings and, after many hardships, finally reached his destination. However, he found that the competition there was very fierce, and his goods could not be sold at all. Not only that, but he was also targeted by local thieves and lost a lot of money. In the end, he had to dispose of the remaining goods at a low price and returned home in disgrace. His business trip not only failed to make money, but also lost a lot, which was really a net loss. He then understood that doing business cannot blindly follow the trend; one must first conduct thorough market research to avoid losses.
Usage
主要用于形容投资或行动所获利益小于损失的情况。
Mainly used to describe situations where the profit from an investment or action is less than the loss.
Examples
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他为了这个项目，投入了大量的时间和精力，最终却得不偿失。
ta weile zhege xiangmu, tourule le da liang de shijian he jingli, zhongyou que de bu chang shi.
He invested a lot of time and energy in this project, but ultimately it was a net loss.
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这次投资虽然风险很高，但回报也相当可观，所以得不偿失的说法并不适用。
zhe ci touzi suiran fengxian hen gao, dan hui bao ye xiangdang ke guan, suo yi de bu chang shi de shuo fa bing bu shiyong
Although this investment is very risky, the return is also considerable, so the saying "the gain does not compensate for the loss" is not applicable.