📖 Meaning
The characters literally mean to carve ice and sculpt rotten wood. It is a metaphor for effort that is entirely futile—no matter how much labor is invested, the result cannot last or come to fruition.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the 'Preface to the Biographies of Confucian Scholars' in the History of the Northern Dynasties (北史·儒林传序), compiled during the Tang dynasty by Li Yanshou. The full phrase reads '镂冰雕朽，迄用无成'—carving ice and rotten wood ultimately yields nothing. It was originally used to criticize scholars who devoted themselves to empty, impractical pursuits that could never bear fruit.
💡 Example Usage
这种不切实际的计划，犹如镂冰雕朽，注定不会有任何成果。
Such an impractical plan is like carving ice and sculpting rotten wood—destined to produce no results whatsoever.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 镂冰雕朽
- Pinyin: lòu bīng diāo xiǔ
- Literal Translation: carve, ice, sculpt, rotten wood
- Category: Method
- Characters: 4