竹籃打水，一場空

using a wicker basket to draw water (idiom); wasted effort

bamboo / CL:棵[ke1],支[zhi1],根[gen1] / Kangxi radical 118

wicker basket

basket (receptacle) / basket (in basketball)

dozen (loanword)

to beat / to strike / to hit / to break / to type / to mix up / to build / to fight / to fetch / to make / to tie up / to issue / to shoot / to calculate / to play (a game) / since / from

using a wicker basket to draw water (idiom); wasted effort

to draw water / to splash water

surname Shui

water / river / liquid / beverage / additional charges or income / (of clothes) classifier for number of washes

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

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

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

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

empty / air / sky / in vain

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