tou4 lou4 mou4 gung1徒勞無功徒劳无功
Jyutpingtou4 lou4 mou4 gung1
Yaletòuh lòuh mòuh gūng
Definition
To work in vain; to make futile efforts that yield no results.
colloquialdaily actionsdescriptions
How it's used
Carries a slightly formal or literary tone despite being used in daily speech to describe failed efforts. It is often used to emphasize that a specific method or approach is fundamentally flawed, rather than just unlucky. You will frequently hear it used as a concluding remark to dismiss a proposed plan.
Examples
Doing it this way will just be a waste of effort.
He tried persuading for a long time, but it was all to no avail.
Related words
Common phrases
completely to no avail
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a simple verb phrase, but it functions more like an adjective or a descriptive state. It is not used to describe a person who is lazy, but rather a situation where the action taken fails to produce the desired result.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
