不X白不X for “Silly Not To”
Use 不吃白不吃 and 不看白不看 to say a free chance would be wasted if you didn’t take it.
Pattern
不 + verb + 白不 + verb
不X白不X means something is free or a rare chance, so not doing X would be a waste.
这些水果是免费的，不吃白不吃。
When to use 不X白不X for “Silly Not To”
Use one verb twice: 不吃白不吃. Here 白 means “for nothing,” so the idea is “If you don’t eat it, the chance is simply wasted.” In other words: it’s free or already paid for, so you might as well enjoy it.
学校的电影票是送的，不看白不看。
The school gave us the movie tickets for free, so why not watch it?
酒店的游泳池不要钱，不用白不用。
The hotel pool costs nothing, so we may as well use it.
这次机会这么难得，不去白不去。
A chance like this doesn’t come often. We’d be silly not to go.
老师说可以多问问题，不问白不问。
The teacher said we can ask lots of questions, so why not ask?
Common traps
- Use the same verb in both places: 不吃白不吃, not 不吃白不拿.
- Here 白 means “for nothing,” not the color white.
- It’s casual and playful; use it with friends, not in formal writing.
Targeted drill
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