Definition
费工夫 is a verb phrase meaning 'to spend a lot of time and effort (on something)'. It is a separable structure (离合词): the object 工夫 can be modified by measure words, adjectives, or complements placed between 费 and 工夫, e.g. 费了很多工夫 ('spent a lot of effort'). It can also be used to describe a task as demanding, as in 这个工作很费工夫 ('this job is very time-consuming').
v
to spend a great deal of time and effort (on something)(of a task) to be demandingto require a lot of effort
Examples
- 费工夫。Tā fèi gōng fū xué le hěn jiǔ cái xuéhuì tán gāngqín.He spent a lot of time and effort learning to play the piano.
- 费工夫，。Zhège xiàngmù tài fèi gōng fū le, wǒmen děi zài zhǎo jǐ ge rén bāngmáng.This project is too demanding; we need to find a few more people to help.
- ，。Wèile zhǔnbèi kǎoshì, wǒ fèi le hěn duō gōng fū fùxí.I spent a lot of time and effort reviewing for the exam.
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