IN VAIN    徒然

FAILING to ACHIEVE any AIMS.
Modern Chinese Criteria
白 is a current word for doing something in vain (also: at no cost) 白白 is intensitive. 徒 is a literary way of referring to something being in vain. 乾 is colloquial for "to no purpose" 無效 refers to an action being to no effect. 虛 as in 不虛此行 "the trip has not been in vain". rough draft to BEGIN TO identify synonym group members for analysis, based on CL etc. 18.11.2003. CH ／
Hypernym
  • FAIL　TRY to ACHIEVE something BUT NOT SUCCEED. (anc: 13/0, child: 1)
  • TRY　ACT, BUT DOUBT WHETHER one WILL be SUCCESSFUL ACTING. (anc: 12/0, child: 9)
  • ACT　MOVE OR NOT MOVE CONFORMING to one's SELF:own DECIDE:decision. (anc: 11/0, child: 24)
  • Lateinische Synonyme und Etymologien ( DOEDERLEIN 1840) p.

    IN VAIN

    frustra refers to something being in vain in the sense that the agent's purposes were frustrated.

    nequidquam refers to something being to no purpose and coming to nothing.

    incassum refers to something coming to nothing because of a fault on the part of the agent.

  • SYNONYMES FRANÇOIS, LEURS DIFFÉRENTES SIGNIFICATIONS, ET LE CHOIX QU'IL EN FAUT FAIRE Pour parler avec justesse ( GIRARD 1769) p. 1.463.421

    VAINEMENT.INUTILEMENT.EN VAIN

  • Bibliographisches Handbuch zur Sprachinhaltsforschung. Teil II. Systematischer Teil. B. Ordnung nach Sinnbezirken (mit einem alphabetischen Begriffsschluessel): Der Mensch und seine Welt im Spiegel der Sprachforschung ( FRANKE 1989) p. 60B

    • Words (8 items)

    徒  tú OC: daa MC: duo̝ 13 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • vadVfor no good reason, to no purpose; empty-handed
    空  kōng OC: khooŋ MC: khuŋ 7 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • vadNvain
    • vadVto no effect, with no result
    • vibe in vain
    唐  táng OC: ɡ-laaŋ MC: dɑŋ 6 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • vadVfor no purpose; in vain
    虛  xū OC: qhla MC: hi̯ɤ 2 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • vadVto no avail; to no effect; needlessly; for nothing; for no reason 名不虛傳 “the good name is not transmitted for nothing"
    • vadVfor no good reason, for nothing, out of nothingCH
    徒自  tú zì OC: daa sblids MC: duo̝ dzi 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • PPadVto no purpose
    唐自  táng zì OC: ɡ-laaŋ sblids MC: dɑŋ dzi 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • VPadVin vain, to no good purpose
    徒然  tú rán OC: daa njen MC: duo̝ ȵiɛn 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    白  bái OC: braaɡ MC: bɣɛk 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • vadVin vain