徒然无望tú rán wú wàng

for nothing; futile;in vain; to no avail
❍ 如果国民党当局对此仍不采取紧急处置，改弦更张，取消特务，则一切政治协商都将～。(《周恩来选集》上—237) Unless the Kuomintang authorities take urgent measures to put an end to all this,change their ways and abolish the secret police,all political consultations will be futile.