To expend great effort for minimal or no gain; to take a roundabout and inefficient approach to a simple task, resulting in wasted labor.
他为了寻找一个简单的答案，查阅了大量资料，结果却是凿隧入井，白费了许多功夫。
To find a simple answer, he consulted a large amount of materials, but it turned out to be a futile and inefficient effort, wasting a lot of time.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
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