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付諸東流

简付诸东流 · 繁付諸東流

Mandarin · pinyin fù zhū dōng liú

wasted effort

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Characters in this entry

付: fù · give, deliver, pay, hand over; entrust
諸: Look up this written character
東: dōng · east, eastern, eastward
流: liú · flow, circulate, drift; class
诸: zhū · various, all, these; surname
东: dōng · east, eastern, eastward

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–1–1–2 · fu4 zhu1 dong1 liu2

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

付諸東流 · find source passages ↗ · 付诸东流 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(figurative) to go in vain; to go down the drain; to be completely wasted

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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