灯盏不加油，枉费芯燈盞不加油，枉費芯燈盞不加油，枉費芯

a lamp dish with no oil added: the wick is wasted

Saying俗语俗語

Two-part saying歇后语歇後語 · Rarely used now

Meaning: Mocks someone who wastes effort for no result.
Wordplay: 芯 xīn (wick) is a pun on 心 xīn (heart, mental effort), so 'wasted wick' means 'wasted effort'.

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Simplified: 灯盏不加油，枉费芯
Traditional (Taiwan): 燈盞不加油，枉費芯
Pinyin: dēngzhǎn bù jiāyóu, wǎngfèi xīn
Bopomofo: ㄉㄥㄓㄢˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄐㄧㄚㄧㄡˊ，ㄨㄤˇ ㄈㄟˋ ㄒㄧㄣ

Written with HSK 4 vocabulary, at CEFR level B1.

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