The losses outweigh the gains; what is gained cannot compensate for what is lost; it's not worth the candle.
为了节省一点小钱而购买质量差的电器，结果频繁维修，真是得不偿失
Buying low-quality appliances just to save a little money, only to have frequent repairs, is truly a case of the loss outweighing the gain.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Antonym:
Story:
During the Three Kingdoms period, Sun Quan of Eastern Wu occupied the six commanderies of Jiangdong. He wanted to expand his sphere of influence, so he summoned his officials to discuss attacking Yizhou and Qiongya.
All the ministers agreed to send troops, except for Lu Xun, the Right Protector-General, who believed that they should recuperate and strengthen their forces at that time.
Sun Quan did not adopt his advice and sent troops, achieving victory, but overall, the gains did not compensate for the losses.
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