水漂

shuǐpiāo

noun #23,948

Meanings

1 stone skipping (skimming stones across water)
2 a skipping stone
3 (fig.) money thrown away / wasted money

Characters

to float / to drift / to skim

Examples

孩子们在河边打水漂，玩得很开心。

Háizimen zài hébiān dǎ shuǐpiāo, wán de hěn kāixīn.

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

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.

Tips

usage

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

Stroke Order

水 shuǐ

漂 piào