泥牛入海 ní niú rù hǎi clay ox into the sea

Explanation

比喻事情毫无结果，彻底失败，有去无回。

A metaphor for something without result, complete failure, no return.

Origin Story

很久以前，在一个沿海的小村庄里，住着一位名叫阿牛的年轻渔夫。阿牛勤劳善良，但他性格内向，不善言辞，总是默默地做着自己该做的事情。有一天，阿牛出海打渔，却遭遇了百年不遇的暴风雨。惊涛骇浪中，阿牛的小船被巨浪吞没，他连同他的渔获一起，消失在了茫茫大海之中。村里的人们四处寻找，却始终没有发现阿牛的踪迹。时间一天天过去，人们逐渐放弃了寻找，阿牛的故事成为了一个传说，人们用“泥牛入海”来形容他彻底消失，杳无音信的结局。

hěn jiǔ yǐ qián, zài yī gè yán hǎi de xiǎo cūn zhuāng lǐ, zhù zhe yī wèi míng jiào ā niú de nián qīng yú fū. ā niú qín láo shàn liáng, dàn tā xìng gé nèi xiàng, bù shàn yán cí, zǒng shì mò mò de zuò zhe zì jǐ gāi zuò de shì qing. yǒu yī tiān, ā niú chū hǎi dǎ yú, què zāo yù le bǎi nián bù yù de bào fēng yǔ. jīng tāo hài làng zhōng, ā niú de xiǎo chuán bèi jù làng tūn méi, tā lián tóng tā de yú huò yī qǐ, xiāo shī le zài máng máng dà hǎi zhī zhōng. cūn lǐ de rén men sì chù xún zhǎo, què shǐ zhōng méi yǒu fā xiàn ā niú de zōng jī. shí jiān yī tiān tiān guò qù, rén men zhú jiàn fàng qì le xún zhǎo, ā niú de gù shì chéng le yī gè chuán shuō, rén men yòng "ní niú rù hǎi" lái xíng róng tā chè dǐ xiāo shī, yǎo wú yīnxūn de jié jú.

Long ago, in a coastal village, lived a young fisherman named An Niu. An Niu was hardworking and kind, but he was introverted and taciturn, always silently doing what he was supposed to do. One day, An Niu went out to sea to fish, but encountered a once-in-a-century storm. In the raging waves, An Niu's small boat was swallowed by the huge waves, and he, along with his catch, disappeared into the vast ocean. The villagers searched everywhere, but they never found any trace of An Niu. As time passed, people gradually gave up the search, and An Niu's story became a legend. People used the idiom "泥牛入海" to describe his complete disappearance and the complete lack of news.

Usage

常用来形容事情毫无结果，彻底失败，有去无回。

cháng yòng lái xíng róng shì qing háo wú jié guǒ, chè dǐ shībài, yǒu qù wú huí

Often used to describe something without result, a complete failure, no return.

Examples

• 他的计划如同泥牛入海，毫无音讯。

  tā de jìhuà rútóng ní niú rù hǎi, háo wú yīnxūn

  His plan is like a clay ox entering the sea, without any news.

• 希望渺茫，就像泥牛入海，石沉大海。

  xīwàng miǎománg, jiù xiàng ní niú rù hǎi, shí chén dà hǎi

  Hopeless, like a clay ox entering the sea, sinking into the depths of silence.

Related Idioms

• 石沉大海

• 杳无音信

Opposite Idioms

• 功成名就

• 马到成功