bào​wèng​guàn​pǔ

to expend much effort for little results

Senses

抱瓮灌圃/ 抱甕灌圃 bào​wèng​guàn​pǔ to expend much effort for little results

(idiom) describes using clumsy or inefficient methods; literally "to carry a pitcher to water the garden," based on a story in the 庄子 zhuāng​zǐ where a man refuses more efficient tools in favor of manual labor

References

No references for this word.