"Lao er wu gong" (徒劳无功) means to expend effort in vain without achieving any result, similar in meaning to "bai fei li qi" (白费力气, wasting one's energy). In this idiom, "tu" (徒) means "merely" or "in vain," "lao" (劳) refers to labor or effort, and "wu gong" (无功) means having no merit or effect. The idiom is commonly used to describe situations where, due to inappropriate methods, a wrong direction, or unfavorable objective conditions, one cannot achieve one's goal no matter how much time, energy, or even resources are invested. It carries a clear emotional tone of regret, criticism, or helplessness, and is often used to summarize the reasons for failure, advise others against futile efforts, or mock oneself for efforts that came to nothing. From a cultural perspective, although this idiom is often traced back to imagery in the Classic of Poetry (Shijing) expressing labor without harvest, it was later condensed into a fixed phrase emphasizing the disconnect between action and result, reminding people to act with strategy and practical effectiveness and to avoid blind, reckless effort.
📝 Example
1. He developed new products blindly without investigating market demand, and as a result, all his efforts were in vain, causing the company to suffer heavy losses.
2. Trying to persuade a stubborn person through argument is often a waste of effort.