shā​lǐ​táo​jīn

to pan for gold from sand

Senses

沙里淘金/ 沙裡淘金 shā​lǐ​táo​jīn to pan for gold from sand

To extract gold from sand by washing it with water.

沙里淘金/ 沙裡淘金 shā​lǐ​táo​jīn small returns for great effort

To get very little result despite spending a huge amount of time or energy.

沙里淘金/ 沙裡淘金 shā​lǐ​táo​jīn to select the essence

To pick out the best parts from a large amount of material or to select the best from a mass of people or things

References

see 沙里淘金/沙裡淘金 精挑细选/精挑細選