Japanese

かいていろうげつ
Meaning: attempting the impossible; wasted effort
Part of Speech: Noun, Four-character idiom

Listen to pronunciation

Handwriting

海
底
撈
月

Example

Trying to find a lost ring in the deep sea is like attempting the impossible.

Usage Notes

Literally 'fishing the moon from the bottom of the sea'. Describes wasting effort on something that is fundamentally unattainable.

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