In vain

In vain

As a Chinese idiom, Pinyin is x ū zh ō UPI ā ow ǎ, which refers to something without practical value. It's from Huainanzi · quanyanxun.

Idiom usage

As subject, object, attribute; of something impractical

Examples

Hunger can't eat, cold can't dress, he seems to be in vain. Tang Xianzu's Peony Pavilion

The origin of Idioms

In the Western Han Dynasty, Liu An's "Huainanzi · quanyanxun", it is said that "a square boat helps the river, and there are empty boats coming from one side, touching and covering it. Although there is a heart, there will be no resentment."