尖扁担担柴，两头脱尖扁擔擔柴，兩頭脫尖扁擔擔柴，兩頭脱

carrying firewood on a pointed-ended pole: both ends come off

Saying俗语俗語

Two-part saying歇后语歇後語 · Rarely used now

Meaning: Said when everything one tries comes to nothing. Wry or sympathetic.
Wordplay: 脱 (tuō) means both the load slipping off the pole's ends and plans falling through or missing the mark.

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Simplified: 尖扁担担柴，两头脱
Traditional (Taiwan): 尖扁擔擔柴，兩頭脫
Traditional (Hong Kong): 尖扁擔擔柴，兩頭脱
Pinyin: jiān biǎndan dān chái, liǎngtóu tuō
Bopomofo: ㄐㄧㄢㄅㄧㄢˇ ˙ㄉㄢㄉㄢㄔㄞˊ，ㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄊㄡˊ ㄊㄨㄛ

Written with HSK 7-9 vocabulary, at CEFR level C1.

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