hit a bird with bright pearls—the game is not worth the candle; the loss outweighs the gain
❍ 花这样多外汇来建这样的工厂，真好比～，得不偿失。It is not worth spending so much foreign currency to build a factory like this.It is just like shooting a bird with bright pearls—the loss outweighs the gain.
明珠弹雀ming zhu tan que
shoot a pearl at the sparrow—the loss outweighs the gain
明珠弹雀mínɡ zhū tán què
用夜明珠作弹子去打鸟雀。比喻得不偿失。pay too dear for one’s whistle, lose much to get sth. trivial