1.
all for nothing; a waste; come to nothing; futile
An idiomatic expression meaning that effort, time, or investment has been wasted and come to nothing, like bubbles on water that quickly disappear.
A vivid metaphor comparing wasted effort to bubbles on water — they appear briefly and then vanish without a trace. Almost always used in the pattern ～が水の泡になる (to come to nothing) or ～が水の泡だ (is all for nothing). The expression emphasizes not just failure but the transience and complete loss of what was invested.
Common patterns
- 努力が水の泡になる: efforts come to nothing
- 苦労が水の泡だ: hardship was all for nothing
- ～が水の泡と消える: to vanish like bubbles on water
Similar words
- 台無しにする: to ruin; to spoil — focuses on someone actively ruining something, while 水の泡 emphasizes the result of loss
- 徒労に終わる: to end in vain — more formal; used in written language
- 無駄になる: to become wasted — the most straightforward way to say something was pointless
- 元も子もない: to lose everything, including the original investment — emphasizes total loss
Related Words
Compare:
骨折り損 (wasted effort)