抟沙嚼蜡 — “To engage in something futile, empty, and unrewarding”
抟沙嚼蜡 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to engage in something futile, empty, and unrewarding”. To find something dull, meaningless, or insipid. Literally, “Knead sand and chew wax”.
Frequency
抟沙嚼蜡 Pronunciation and Pinyin
抟沙嚼蜡 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 抟沙嚼蜡
这个讲座内容空泛，听起来真让人有抟沙嚼蜡之感，毫无收获。
The content of this lecture was superficial; listening to it truly gave one a feeling of futility and boredom, with no gains whatsoever.
Idioms Related to 抟沙嚼蜡
Recommended tools
Bingo Cards
Picture and word Bingo for your class
Open the tool →
Picture Worksheets
Chinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets
Open the tool →
Character Highlight Animator
Choose character parts and animate their colors, together or in stroke order
Open the tool →
Stroke Order Animator
Turn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
Open the tool →Questions about 抟沙嚼蜡
What does 抟沙嚼蜡 mean?
抟沙嚼蜡 (tuán shā jiáo là) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to engage in something futile, empty, and unrewarding”.
How do you pronounce 抟沙嚼蜡?
抟沙嚼蜡 is pronounced tuán shā jiáo là in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 抟沙嚼蜡 literally mean?
Literally, 抟沙嚼蜡 means “Knead sand and chew wax”. It is used to mean “to engage in something futile, empty, and unrewarding”.
What is the Chinese definition of 抟沙嚼蜡?
比喻空虚而无味。