徒劳无功 tú láo wú gōng in vain

Explanation

徒劳无功，指白白付出劳动而没有成效。

In vain means to work hard without success.

Origin Story

从前，在一个偏远的小村庄里，住着一位名叫张老汉的农民。张老汉勤劳善良，每天起早贪黑地种地，希望能过上好日子。可天公不作美，连年干旱，庄稼颗粒无收，张老汉辛苦劳作却一无所获。他尝试了各种方法，请教了老农，甚至求助于神灵，但都徒劳无功。最终，张老汉还是没能摆脱贫困，依然过着困苦的生活。

cóng qián, zài yī ge piān yuǎn de xiǎo cūn zhuāng lǐ, zhù zhe yī wèi míng jiào zhāng lǎo hàn de nóng mín. zhāng lǎo hàn qín láo shàn liáng, měi tiān qǐ zǎo gǎn hēi de zhòng dì, xī wàng néng guò shàng hǎo rì zi. kě tiān gōng bù zuò měi, lián nián gān hàn, zhuāng jiā kē lì wú shōu, zhāng lǎo hàn xīn kǔ láo zuò què yī wú suǒ huò. tā cháng shì le gè zhòng fāng fǎ, qǐng jiào le lǎo nóng, shèn zhì qiú zhù yú shén líng, dàn dōu tú láo wú gōng. zuì zhōng, zhāng lǎo hàn hái shì méi néng tuī bǎo pín kùn, yīrán guò zhe kùn kǔ de shēng huó.

Once upon a time, in a remote village, lived a farmer named Zhang Lao Han. Zhang Lao Han was hardworking and kind, working from dawn till dusk on his farm, hoping to live a good life. But the weather was not kind, there was a drought for years, and the crops failed to harvest. Zhang Lao Han's hard work was in vain. He tried all kinds of methods, consulted old farmers, and even sought help from the gods, but all in vain. In the end, Zhang Lao Han still couldn't escape poverty and lived a poor life.

Usage

这个成语常用来形容做事没有成效，白费力气。

zhège chéng yǔ cháng yòng lái xíng róng zuò shì méi yǒu chéng xiào, bái fèi lì qi.

This idiom is often used to describe doing something without effect, wasting effort.

Examples

• 他花了几个月时间，却依然徒劳无功。

  tā huā le jǐ ge yuè shí jiān, què yīrán tú láo wú gōng.

  He spent months on it, but it was all in vain.

• 为了这个项目，我们已经投入了大量的人力物力，但最终还是徒劳无功。

  wèi le zhège xiàng mù, wǒ men yǐ jīng tóu rù le dà liàng de rén lì wù lì, dàn zuì zhōng hái shì tú láo wú gōng

  We have invested a lot of manpower and material resources in this project, but it has been in vain.

Related Idioms

• 劳而无功

• 徒劳

• 白费力气

• 枉费心机

Opposite Idioms

• 功成名就

• 大功告成

• 不劳而获