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竹篮打水

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: zhú lán dá shuǐ
  • English Translation: Drawing water with a bamboo basket (all for nothing)
  • Idiom Composition: 「竹篮」（A basket woven from bamboo (which naturally has gaps)）＋「打」（To draw or fetch (water) in this context）＋「水」（Water）
  • Meaning: Using a bamboo basket with gaps to draw water results in the water leaking out. It metaphorically describes efforts that are completely in vain, yielding no results despite the hard work put in.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「竹篮打水」 contains the following nuances:

  • Structural Futility: Suggests that the failure isn't due to a lack of effort, but because the method or tool used is fundamentally flawed.
  • Emptiness of Results: Emphasizes the 'zero' state where nothing remains at the end, highlighting the frustration of wasted time.

3. Usage

「竹篮打水」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Warning or Advice: Used to warn against reckless plans or unrealistic expectations, suggesting they will lead to nothing.
    • Example:「如果不先做市场调查就盲目投资，最后很可能是竹篮打水一场空。」
      （If you invest blindly without doing market research first, it is highly likely that you will end up with nothing.)
  • Reflecting on Failure: Used to lament a situation where hard work resulted in zero gain.
    • Example:「忙活了半天，结果客户取消了订单，真是竹篮打水一场空。」
      （After being busy for half a day, the customer canceled the order; it was truly all for nothing.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 他追求那个女孩好几年，到头来却是竹篮打水一场空。
    （He pursued that girl for several years, but in the end, it was all in vain.）
  2. 别做那些不切实际的梦了，小心竹篮打水一场空。
    （Stop having those unrealistic dreams, or you might find that all your efforts go down the drain.）
  3. 所有的准备工作都因为突如其来的暴雨而竹篮打水一场空。
    （All the preparation work came to nothing because of the sudden rainstorm.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • Xiehouyu (歇后语): This idiom is a famous example of a Chinese 'two-part allegorical saying.' By saying the first part, 竹篮打水 (zhú lán dá shuǐ), the speaker implies the second part, 一场空 (yī chǎng kōng), which means 'all for nothing' or 'a total waste.'
  • Philosophical Context: While it can sometimes relate to the Buddhist concept of the impermanence of wealth and fame, in modern daily life, it is almost exclusively used to describe the failure of specific, practical plans.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

竹篮打水 (zhú lán dá shuǐ) describes the act of trying to fetch water with a leaky bamboo basket, symbolizing futile efforts. It is most commonly used in the full phrase 竹篮打水一场空 (zhú lán dá shuǐ yī chǎng kōng), which emphasizes that the final result is 'empty' or 'nothing.' It is often used to lament failed plans or wasted energy.

Idiom Essay

zhú lán dá shuǐ
竹篮打水
A Vain Effort
xiǎng xiàng想象yī xià一下，nǐ你wèi le为了yí gè一个mù biāo目标，fù chū付出le了hěn很duō多nǔ lì努力。

Imagine that you have put a lot of effort into a goal.

nǐ你měi tiān每天dōu都zài在máng lù忙碌，liú流le了hěn很duō多hàn shuǐ汗水，shèn zhì甚至xī shēng牺牲le了xiū xī休息shí jiān时间。

You are busy every day, sweating a lot, and even sacrificing your rest time.

zài在guò chéng过程zhōng中，nǐ你jué de觉得shǒu lǐ手里chén diàn diàn沉甸甸de的，hǎo xiàng好像zhuā zhù抓住le了shén me什么。

During the process, you feel a weight in your hands, as if you have grasped something.

kě shì可是，děng dào等到zuì hòu最后nà那yī kè一刻，dāng当nǐ你tíng xià lái停下来xiǎng yào想要kàn kàn看看chéng guǒ成果shí时，què却fā xiàn发现——shǒu lǐ手里shén me什么dōu都méi yǒu没有。

However, at the final moment, when you stop to see the results, you find that there is nothing in your hands.

yī qiè一切dōu都huí dào回到le了yuán diǎn原点。

Everything has returned to the starting point.

zhōng wén中文lǐ里，yǒu有yí gè一个fēi cháng非常xíng xiàng形象de的chéng yǔ成语，zhuān mén专门yòng lái用来xíng róng形容zhè zhǒng这种“nǔ lì努力le了bàn tiān半天，zuì hòu最后què却yī wú suǒ huò一无所获”de的wú nài无奈。

In Chinese, there is a very vivid idiom used specifically to describe this helplessness of working hard for a long time only to end up with nothing.

zhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语jiào叫：“zhú lán dá shuǐ竹篮打水”。

This idiom is 竹篮打水.

ràng让wǒ men我们kàn yī kàn看一看zhè ge这个huà miàn画面。

Let's look at this image.

“zhú lán竹篮”，shì是yòng用zhú zi竹子biān chéng编成de的lán zi篮子。

竹篮 is a basket woven from bamboo.

tā它yǒu有hěn很duō kǒng多孔，yǒu有hěn很duō多fèng xì缝隙。

It has many holes and many gaps.

“dǎ shuǐ打水”，jiù shì就是qù去hé河lǐ里qǔ shuǐ取水。

打水 means to fetch water from a river.

dāng当nǐ你bǎ把zhú lán竹篮jìn浸dào到hé shuǐ河水lǐ里shí时，lán zi篮子què shí确实huì会bèi被zhuāng mǎn装满，tí提qǐ lái起来de的nà那yī shùn jiān一瞬间，nǐ你yě也huì会jué de觉得hěn很chén沉。

When you dip the 竹篮 into the river, the basket is indeed filled, and at the moment you lift it, you feel it is heavy.

dàn shì但是，zhǐ yào只要nǐ你bǎ把lán zi篮子lí kāi离开shuǐ miàn水面，shuǐ水jiù就huì会shùn zhe顺着nà xiē那些fèng xì缝隙，huā lā huā lā哗啦哗啦dì地liú流zǒu走。

But as soon as you lift the basket out of the water, the water will flow away through those gaps.

bù guǎn不管nǐ你dòng zuò动作duō多kuài快，bù guǎn不管nǐ你duō多yòng lì用力，zuì hòu最后tí提zài在shǒu lǐ手里de的，yǒng yuǎn永远zhǐ shì只是yí gè一个shī lù lù湿漉漉de的kōng空lán zi篮子。

No matter how fast you move or how hard you try, what you end up holding in your hand is always just a wet, empty basket.

zhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语zuì最cháng常hé和lìng另yí gè一个cí词lián连zài在yì qǐ一起yòng用，biàn chéng变成yī jù一句sú yǔ俗语，jiào叫“zhú lán dá shuǐ竹篮打水——yī cháng kōng一场空”。

This idiom is most often used with another phrase to become a common saying: 竹篮打水一场空.

zhè这qí shí其实shì是yī jù一句hěn很cán kù残酷de huà的话。

This is actually a very cruel sentence.

yīn wèi因为tā它zhǐ chū指出de的wèn tí问题，wǎng wǎng往往bú shì不是nǐ你“bù gòu不够nǔ lì努力”，ér shì而是nǐ你de的“fāng fǎ方法”huò zhě或者“fāng xiàng方向”cóng从yī kāi shǐ一开始jiù shì就是cuò错de的。

Because the problem it points out is often not that you are not hardworking enough, but that your method or direction was wrong from the very beginning.

rú guǒ如果gōng jù工具xuǎn选cuò错le了——jiù就xiàng像yòng用yǒu kǒng有孔de的lán zi篮子qù去zhuāng shuǐ装水——nà me那么wú lùn无论nǐ你duō me多么qín fèn勤奋，jié guǒ结果zhù dìng注定shì是líng零。

If the tool is wrong—just like using a basket with holes to hold water—then no matter how diligent you are, the result is destined to be zero.

wǒ men我们zài在shén me shí hòu什么时候huì会yòng用dào到tā它ne呢？

When do we use it?

tōng cháng通常shì是zài在kàn dào看到yí gè一个rén人máng mù盲目dì地tóu rù投入，què却méi没kàn qīng看清xiàn shí现实de的shí hòu时候。

Usually when we see someone investing blindly without seeing reality clearly.

bǐ rú比如，yí gè rén一个人tóu zī投资le了yí gè一个gēn běn根本bù kě kào不可靠de的xiàng mù项目，tóu投le了hěn duō很多qián钱，zuì hòu最后gōng sī公司dǎo bì倒闭le了，qián钱dōu都ná拿bù不huí lái回来；huò zhě或者，yí gè rén一个人shì tú试图qù去gǎi biàn改变yí gè一个gēn běn根本bù xiǎng不想gǎi biàn改变de的rén人，fèi jìn xīn sī费尽心思，zuì hòu最后duì fāng对方hái shì还是lǎo yàng zi老样子。

For example, someone invests a lot of money in an unreliable project and the company goes bankrupt, so the money cannot be recovered; or someone tries to change a person who does not want to change at all, and after much effort, the other person remains the same.

zhè shí hòu这时候，wǒ men我们jiù就huì会gǎn tàn感叹：zhè这zhēn shì真是“zhú lán dǎ shuǐ yī cháng kōng竹篮打水一场空”。

At this time, we would sigh: This is truly 竹篮打水一场空.

tā它bù jǐn jǐn不仅仅shì是zài在miáo shù描述shī bài失败。

It is not just describing failure.

tā它shì是zài在tí xǐng提醒wǒ men我们：zài在kāi shǐ开始bēn pǎo奔跑zhī qián之前，xiān先kàn yī kàn看一看nǐ你shǒu lǐ手里de的“lán zi篮子”。

It is reminding us: before you start running, take a look at the basket in your hand.

yǒu shí hòu有时候，tíng xià lái停下来jiǎn chá检查yī xià一下fāng xiàng方向hé和gōng jù工具，bǐ比máng mù盲目dì地nǔ lì努力gèng更zhòng yào重要。

Sometimes, stopping to check your direction and tools is more important than blind effort.

bì jìng毕竟，shuí谁yě也bù不xī wàng希望zì jǐ自己xīn kǔ辛苦máng lù忙碌le了yī cháng一场，zuì hòu最后zhǐ只shèng xià剩下yí gè一个shī lù lù湿漉漉de的、kōng dàng dàng空荡荡de的lán zi篮子。

After all, no one wants to work hard only to be left with a wet, empty basket.

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