📖 Meaning
To put in effort without achieving any result or effect. It describes a situation where hard work is wasted because the approach or goal is fundamentally unattainable. The phrase emphasizes the futility of the labor rather than the labor itself.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase traces back to two classical sources. In Zhuangzi's 'Tian Yun' chapter (Zhuangzi, Warring States period), the author compares pushing a boat on land to effort that produces no result — 'toiling without merit.' The Guanzi 'Xingshi' chapter (attributed to Guan Zhong, Spring and Autumn period) similarly states that attempting the impossible, forcing what cannot be done, or instructing those who cannot understand all constitute 'laboring without achievement.' Over time the phrasing evolved into the four-character form 徒劳无功.
💡 Example Usage
他试图说服固执的父亲改变主意，结果只是徒劳无功。
He tried to persuade his stubborn father to change his mind, but it was all in vain.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 徒劳无功
- Pinyin: tú láo wú gōng
- Literal Translation: vain, labor, no, merit
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4