徒劳无功 (tú láo wú gōng) | Meaning: to work to no avail (idiom) | Chinese Idiom with Pinyin & Origin

to work hard while accomplishing little · to toil to no avail劳而无功láo ér wú gōng

futile徒劳tú láo

go on a wild goose chase · fare worse and worse for all one's scheming · get nothing for all one's pains心劳日拙xīn láo rì zhuō

futile endeavor (idiom)徒劳无益tú láo wú yì

lit. draw legs on a snake (idiom); fig. to ruin the effect by adding sth superfluous · to overdo it画蛇添足huà shé tiān zú

to work to no avail (idiom)