水中撈月

See also: 水中捞月

Chinese

		water; river	middle; centre; within middle; centre; within; among; in; while (doing sth); during; China; Chinese; hit (the mark)	fish up	moon; month
trad. (水中撈月)		水	中	撈	月
simp. (水中捞月)		水	中	捞	月
alternative forms		水中捉月 水底摸月 海中撈月／海中捞月 海底撈月／海底捞月
Literally: “to scoop (the reflection of) the moon out of the water”.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): shuǐzhōng-lāoyuè

  (Zhuyin): ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄌㄠ ㄩㄝˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): seoi² zung¹ laau⁴ jyut⁶, seoi² zung¹ laau¹ jyut⁶, seoi² zung¹ lou⁴ jyut⁶

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: shuǐzhōng-lāoyuè
    • Zhuyin: ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄌㄠ ㄩㄝˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: shuěijhonglaoyuè
    • Wade–Giles: shui³-chung¹-lao¹-yüeh⁴
    • Yale: shwěi-jūng-lāu-ywè
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shoeijonglhauyueh
    • Palladius: шуйчжунлаоюэ (šujčžunlaojue)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ lɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ɥɛ⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: seoi² zung¹ laau⁴ jyut⁶, seoi² zung¹ laau¹ jyut⁶, seoi² zung¹ lou⁴ jyut⁶
    • Yale: séui jūng làauh yuht, séui jūng lāau yuht, séui jūng lòuh yuht
    • Cantonese Pinyin: soey² dzung¹ laau⁴ jyt⁹, soey² dzung¹ laau¹ jyt⁹, soey² dzung¹ lou⁴ jyt⁹
    • Guangdong Romanization: sêu² zung¹ lao⁴ yud⁶, sêu² zung¹ lao¹ yud⁶, sêu² zung¹ lou⁴ yud⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɵy̯³⁵ t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ laːu̯²¹ jyːt̚²/, /sɵy̯³⁵ t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ laːu̯⁵⁵ jyːt̚²/, /sɵy̯³⁵ t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ lou̯²¹ jyːt̚²/

Idiom

水中撈月

1. (figurative) to make a hopeless, futile or vain effort at doing something; to ask for the moon