諺語 · a single proverb
竹籃打水——一場空
Simplified: 竹篮打水——一场空
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 "Fetching water with a bamboo basket-all for nothing." In use it means: Efforts that are wasted because the method or approach is fundamentally flawed. Describes futile labor with no lasting result. 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 Monkey.
Literally: "Fetching water with a bamboo basket-all for nothing.."
The reading
Some struggles teach us not through what they yield but through what they drain away. The basket holds its shape yet cannot hold what matters. Recognizing a losing method early is itself a form of wisdom. The emptiness left behind can become the space where better plans take root. Even futile effort refines our sense of what deserves our energy.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Traditional Chinese folk saying, widely attested in proverb collections
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 Adversity & Resilience, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Monkey, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 竹籃打水——一場空 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 竹籃打水——一場空 (zhú lán dǎ shuǐ——yī chǎng kōng) is a two-part riddle-saying (xiēhòuyǔ 歇後語), and it comes from Traditional Chinese folk saying, widely attested in proverb collections. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 竹籃打水——一場空?
In Mandarin it is zhú lán dǎ shuǐ——yī chǎng kōng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 竹籃打水——一場空 aloud in Mandarin.