The idiom 大海捞针 (dàhǎi lāo zhēn, 'fishing a needle from the ocean') is the Chinese equivalent of 'a needle in a haystack.' Also, 捞 is used colloquially to mean making money in shady ways — 捞一把 means 'to make a quick buck.'
culture
捞面 (lāomiàn) or 捞 in Cantonese cuisine refers to tossing noodles with sauce (as opposed to soup noodles), which is where the dish name 'lo mein' comes from.
