水中捞月 shuǐ zhōng lāo yuè

a hopeless endeavor

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. a hopeless endeavor
  2. 2. lit. to scoop the moon out of the water (idiom)

Characters

Character Meaning
水 shuǐ HSK 1
water; liquid; beverage
中 zhōng HSK 1
in; within; middle
捞 lāo HSK 6
to fish up; to dredge up
月 yuè HSK 1
month; moon; monthly