水漂

shuǐpiāo

noun #23,948

Meanings

HSK 2

孩子们在河边打水漂，玩得很开心。

Háizi men zài hébiān dǎ shuǐpiāo, wán de hěn kāixīn.

The children were skipping stones at the riverbank, having a great time.

HSK 4

那笔投资打了水漂，一分钱没回来。

Nà bǐ tóuzī dǎ le shuǐpiāo, yī fēn qián méi huílái.

That investment went down the drain; not a penny came back.

usage

打水漂 literally means to skip stones. The figurative meaning of wasting money or resources is very common in everyday speech.

水 shuǐ

漂 piāo