无功而返
wú gōng ér fǎn
Pinyin

Definition

无功而返
 - 
wú gōng ér fǎn
  1. to return without any achievement (idiom); to go home with one's tail between one's legs

Character Decomposition

Related Words (20)

功能
gōng néng
  1. 1 function
  2. 2 capability
成功
Chéng gōng
  1. 1 Chenggong or Chengkung town in Taitung County 臺東縣|台东县[Tái dōng Xiàn], southeast Taiwan
而
ér
  1. 1 and
  2. 2 as well as
  3. 3 and so
  4. 4 but (not)
  5. 5 yet (not)
  6. 6 (indicates causal relation)
  7. 7 (indicates change of state)
  8. 8 (indicates contrast)
而且
ér qiě
  1. 1 (not only ...) but also
  2. 2 moreover
  3. 3 in addition
  4. 4 furthermore
功
gōng
  1. 1 meritorious deed or service
  2. 2 achievement
  3. 3 result
  4. 4 service
  5. 5 accomplishment
  6. 6 work (physics)
功力
gōng lì
  1. 1 merit
  2. 2 efficacy
  3. 3 competence
  4. 4 skill
  5. 5 power
功勋
gōng xūn
  1. 1 achievement
  2. 2 meritorious deed
  3. 3 contributions (for the good of society)
功劳
gōng láo
  1. 1 contribution
  2. 2 meritorious service
  3. 3 credit
功夫
gōng fu
  1. 1 skill
  2. 2 art
  3. 3 kung fu
  4. 4 labor
  5. 5 effort
功效
gōng xiào
  1. 1 efficacy
功课
gōng kè
  1. 1 homework
  2. 2 assignment
  3. 3 task
  4. 4 classwork
  5. 5 lesson
  6. 6 study
  7. 7 CL:門|门[mén]
反而
fǎn ér
  1. 1 instead
  2. 2 on the contrary
  3. 3 contrary (to expectations)
因而
yīn ér
  1. 1 therefore
  2. 2 as a result
  3. 3 thus
  4. 4 and as a result, ...
多功能
duō gōng néng
  1. 1 multi-functional
  2. 2 multi-function
往返
wǎng fǎn
  1. 1 to go back and forth
  2. 2 to go to and fro
  3. 3 round trip
从天而降
cóng tiān ér jiàng
  1. 1 lit. to drop from the sky (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. to appear unexpectedly
  3. 3 to arise abruptly
  4. 4 out of the blue
  5. 5 to drop into one's lap
从而
cóng ér
  1. 1 thus
  2. 2 thereby
战功
zhàn gōng
  1. 1 outstanding military service
然而
rán ér
  1. 1 however
  2. 2 yet
  3. 3 but
神功
shén gōng
  1. 1 amazing powers
  2. 2 miraculous skill

Idioms (20)

一哄而散
yī hōng ér sàn
  1. 1 to disperse in confusion (idiom)
一拥而入
yī yōng ér rù
  1. 1 to swarm in (of people etc) (idiom)
一望而知
yī wàng ér zhī
  1. 1 to be evident at a glance (idiom)
一概而论
yī gài ér lùn
  1. 1 to lump different matters together (idiom)
一炮而红
yī pào ér hóng
  1. 1 to win instant success (idiom)
  2. 2 to become an instant hit
一蹴而就
yī cù ér jiù
  1. 1 to get there in one step (idiom); easily done
  2. 2 success at a stroke
  3. 3 to get results overnight
一蹴而得
yī cù ér dé
  1. 1 to get there in one step (idiom); easily done
  2. 2 success at a stroke
  3. 3 to get results overnight
一饮而尽
yī yǐn ér jìn
  1. 1 to drain the cup in one gulp (idiom)
三十而立
sān shí ér lì
  1. 1 thirty years old and therefore independent (idiom, from Confucius)
三思而后行
sān sī ér hòu xíng
  1. 1 think again and again before acting (idiom); consider carefully in advance
三思而行
sān sī ér xíng
  1. 1 think three times then go (idiom); don't act before you've thought it through carefully
不劳而获
bù láo ér huò
  1. 1 to reap without sowing (idiom)
不可同日而语
bù kě tóng rì ér yǔ
  1. 1 lit. mustn't speak of two things on the same day (idiom); not to be mentioned in the same breath
  2. 2 incomparable
不患寡而患不均
bù huàn guǎ ér huàn bù jūn
  1. 1 do not worry about scarcity, but rather about uneven distribution (idiom, from Analects)
不成功便成仁
bù chéng gōng biàn chéng rén
  1. 1 to succeed or die trying (idiom)
不求有功，但求无过
bù qiú yǒu gōng , dàn qiú wú guò
  1. 1 lit. not aiming to achieve the best possible result, but rather trying to avoid making mistakes (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. to take a risk-averse approach
不约而同
bù yuē ér tóng
  1. 1 to agree by chance (idiom); taking the same action without prior consultation
乘虚而入
chéng xū ér rù
  1. 1 to enter by exploiting a weak spot (idiom); to take advantage of a lapse
事半功倍
shì bàn gōng bèi
  1. 1 half the work, twice the effect (idiom); the right approach saves effort and leads to better results
  2. 2 a stitch in time saves nine
似是而非
sì shì ér fēi
  1. 1 apparently right but actually wrong; specious (idiom)

Sample Sentences