<p>'Beating a dead horse' implies 'on and on, endlessly debating or citing a same tired subject' (doesn't matter if the subject is settled or not)"</p>

<p>I think it can be described as '沒完沒了' in Chinese. To be specific 'beating a dead horse' is "沒完沒了地重複相同的話題 " (endlessly repeating the same topic)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-16T11:49:01.117Z
2017-12-16T11:54:48.863Z
2017-12-16T11:54:48.863Z
Tang Ho
<p>You're flogging a dead horse there. He won't listen.<br>
你对牛弹琴。他不听你的话。</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-16T23:19:06.290Z
2017-12-16T23:19:06.290Z
Pedroski
<p><a href="http://www.kekenet.com/kouyu/201501/350964.shtml" rel="nofollow noreferrer">KeKeNet</a> translates "beating a dead horse" as:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>多此一举</p>
</blockquote>

<p><a href="http://news.iciba.com/study/bilingual/1562072.shtml" rel="nofollow noreferrer">ICIBA</a> translated it as:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>无济于事</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Are there any other <em>better</em> alternatives to this translation for beating a dead horse? Hopefully more idiomatic.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-16T11:12:26.570Z
search web with e.g. 中文：beating a dead horse, get many hits, e.g.:白費口舌，白費力气,旧事重提,“徒劳无功”，“多此一举”，“白费口舌”，“放马后炮" these can be looked up in dictionaries, e.g. 放马后炮 fire belated shots; criticize (make comments) on (about) sth. after it is already over; do sth. which no longer needs to be done; mount on (flog) a dead horse; start firing after the enemy has gone
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-16T19:08:37.973Z
What do you mean by 'more idiomatic'? 多此一举 and 无济于事 are both idiomatic...
NS.X.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-17T09:53:03.070Z
@NS.X. Yeah you’re right. Perhaps I mean allegorical?
Mou某
<translation>
colloquial idiomatic translation of: "beating a dead horse"?
# colloquial idiomatic translation of: "beating a dead horse"?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-12-16)

[KeKeNet](http://www.kekenet.com/kouyu/201501/350964.shtml) translates "beating a dead horse" as:

> 多此一举

[ICIBA](http://news.iciba.com/study/bilingual/1562072.shtml) translated it as:

> 无济于事

Are there any other *better* alternatives to this translation for beating a dead horse? Hopefully more idiomatic.

**Tags:** translation

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: search web with e.g. 中文：beating a dead horse, get many hits, e.g.:白費口舌，白費力气,旧事重提,“徒劳无功”，“多此一举”，“白费口舌”，“放马后炮" these can be looked up in dictionaries, e.g. 放马后炮 fire belated shots; criticize (make comments) on (about) sth. after it is already over; do sth. which no longer needs to be done; mount on (flog) a dead horse; start firing after the enemy has gone  
> **username_2**: What do you mean by 'more idiomatic'? 多此一举 and 无济于事 are both idiomatic...  
> **username_0**: @NS.X. Yeah you’re right. Perhaps I mean allegorical?  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2017-12-16. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

'Beating a dead horse' implies 'on and on, endlessly debating or citing a same tired subject' (doesn't matter if the subject is settled or not)"

I think it can be described as '沒完沒了' in Chinese. To be specific 'beating a dead horse' is "沒完沒了地重複相同的話題 " (endlessly repeating the same topic)


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### Answer by username_4 on 2017-12-16. Score: 0

You're flogging a dead horse there. He won't listen.  
你对牛弹琴。他不听你的话。


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