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付诸东流 (fù zhū dōng liú) — all efforts are wasted; to come to nothing; to be irrevocably lost

Definition

A chengyu meaning hard work or plans are completely lost forever, like water flowing east and gone for good. Stronger than simply "failing" — it stresses the irreversible loss.

idiom
all efforts are wastedto come to nothingto be irrevocably lost

Examples

  • 付诸东流。
    Tā de xīn xuè fù zhū dōng liú le.
    His hard work went to waste.
  • 付诸东流。
    Zhè cì shī bài shǐ suǒ yǒu de jì huà fù zhū dōng liú.
    This failure caused all the plans to come to nothing.
  • 付诸东流。
    Duō nián de nǔ lì yīn wèi yì chǎng dà huǒ fù zhū dōng liú.
    Years of effort went up in smoke because of a big fire.

Origin

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

付 pairs 亻 (person) with 又 (hand), showing a person handing something to someone.

Open 付 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 諸; 诸 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
者
者zhě諸zhū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The form 諸 pairs 言 (speech) with 者; 者 gives the sound.

Open 诸 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 東; 东 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 東 originally drew a full bag tied at both ends. The simplified 东 is a later shorthand, not the historical shape.

Open 东 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
㐬
㐬㐬流liú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

流 has 水, water, and 㐬, which gives the sound. The water part matches meanings such as flow.

Open 流 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set Phrases

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