竹zhú籃lán打dǎ水shuǐ一yī場chǎng空kōng

What does 竹籃打水一場空 (zhú lán dǎ shuǐ yī chǎng kōng) mean?

竹籃打水一場空 (zhú lán dǎ shuǐ yī chǎng kōng) is a two-part riddle-saying (xiēhòuyǔ 歇後語). Word for word it reads "Drawing water with a bamboo basket-all in vain." In use it means: An effort that is fundamentally flawed in its approach will yield nothing no matter how hard you try. Using the wrong tool for the job guarantees failure. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Water note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Dog.

Literally: "Drawing water with a bamboo basket-all in vain.."

The reading

The basket goes down full of hope and comes up full of air. The problem is not effort or courage; it is method. Before you lower the basket again, stop and look at what you are holding. Sometimes the bravest thing is to set down the wrong tool and find the right one.

What kind of proverb it is

• Typexiēhòuyǔ 歇後語
• FocusLooks back
• Element水 Water
• Zodiac tie狗 Year of the Dog

Source Traditional folk xiehouyu, common across rural China; recorded in Ming-Qing era folk saying compilations.

Sits beside

Keep reading

Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Wisdom & Learning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dog, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.