📖 Meaning
To pursue a goal through completely wrong methods. Trying to achieve something in a way that can never work.
📜 Origin Story
Mencius told King Xuan of Qi that trying to rule the world through military force was like climbing a tree to catch fish—it would never succeed.
💡 Example Usage
想靠买彩票致富，简直是缘木求鱼。
Hoping to get rich by buying lottery tickets is like climbing a tree to catch fish.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 缘木求鱼
- Pinyin: yuán mù qiú yú
- Literal Translation: climb tree, seek fish
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4