in vain; fruitlessly; to no purpose
Describes an action or effort that ends without the desired result, often with a sense of emptiness or futility.
His efforts ended in vain.
I waited all day, but the time just passed fruitlessly.
die; pass away; expire
Standard kanji spelling for the adverbial form of 空しい/虚しい.
Alternate kanji spelling; both 空 and 虚 carry the sense of emptiness or futility.
Adverbial form of the adjective 空しい/虚しい (empty, futile). The kanji 空 and 虚 both convey hollowness or vanity.