一場空

all one's hopes and efforts come to nothing / futile

Characters and words in 一場空

yi̅ = y + Ø1

one / single / a (article) / as soon as / entire; whole; all; throughout / "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) / also pr. [yao1] for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit

Maud Younger (y) forgot her keys to the space station (Ø1), all she brought outside was her flute (一). She has no choice but to crash the door with the giant flute.

场

場

cháng = ch + ang2

threshing floor / classifier for events and happenings: spell, episode, bout

场

場

chǎng = ch + ang3

large place used for a specific purpose / stage / scene (of a play) / classifier for sporting or recreational activities / classifier for number of exams

场 = 𠃓 + 土 : Charlie Chaplin (ch) practices his stage act in the anglepod's living room (ang3). He built a circus ring (场) out of clay (土) and performs his show, wearing Icarus' wings (𠃓) and flying around.

空

ko̅ng = ku + (e)ng1

empty / air / sky / in vain

空 = 工 + 穴 : Mnemonic symbol: an air conditioner

空 = 工 + 穴 : In front of the engine, Karl Koala found some very special cave paintings. Using steel beams he constructs a protective cover. He also installs air conditioning to make the best environment possible to preserve the cave paintings.

空

kòng = ku + (e)ng4

to empty / vacant / unoccupied / space / leisure / free time