籠かごで水みずを汲くむ

Meanings

1

expression, godan verb (-mu)

futile effort; wasted labor

idiomatic expression

Idiomatic expression literally meaning 'to scoop water with a basket', used to describe a pointless or impossible task. Often used proverbially.

そんなことをしても籠かごで水みずを汲くむようなものだ。
Doing that is like trying to bail out the ocean with a teaspoon.
彼かれ

の

説せっ

得とく

は

籠かご

で

水みず

を

汲く

む

に

等ひと

しい

。

Trying to persuade him is as futile as scooping water with a basket.

Written forms

籠かごで水みずを汲くむ
Standard kanji spelling for this idiomatic expression.
かごで水みずをくむ
Kana spelling of the verb part; sometimes seen in casual writing.

Kanji

籠basket, devote oneself, seclude oneself
水water
汲draw (water), ladle, scoop

Similar words

無む駄だ骨ぼね
無駄骨 refers to wasted effort in general, while 籠で水を汲む emphasizes the inherent impossibility of the task through a vivid metaphor.
骨ほね折おり損ぞんの草臥くたびれ儲もうけ
A longer proverb with a similar meaning of wasted effort, but 籠で水を汲む is more concise and image-based.

Etymology

A Japanese idiom derived from the literal image of trying to carry water in a basket, which would leak out immediately. The exact historical origin is uncertain, but it has been used proverbially for centuries.