mò trăng đáy nước
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
to make a hopeless, futile or vain effort at doing something; to ask for the moon
Where it’s used:
Used
Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora
Examples
Near-synonym: mò kim đáy bể
Wiktionary example (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Sources & notes
Imported from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); community review pending. source ↗
Equivalents & related
Common questions
What does “mò trăng đáy nước” mean?
to make a hopeless, futile or vain effort at doing something; to ask for the moon
Is “mò trăng đáy nước” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.
What is the closest equivalent?
“ask for the moon” (English) — near equivalent.