Wild-goose chase：a search that is completely unsuccessful and a waste of time because the person or thing being searched for does not exist or is somewhere else

Wild-goose chase：徒劳的追求或搜索，即一项复杂或漫长且通常无结果的追求或搜索。可翻译为“徒劳；无用功”等。

Wild-goose chase的来源：16世纪英国人发明的一种新型赛马运动。跟普通赛马不同，它的规则是由一匹带头的马到处乱跑，其他马必须在后面紧紧跟随，而且得保持整齐的队形。这和野鹅在天上时排列队形的场面颇有几分相似，因此这种新型的赛马被命名为Wild Goose Chase。William Shakespeare在Romeo and Juliet（《罗密欧与朱丽叶》）曾经用wild-goose chase来表示“一人带领，另一人尾随的无规则路线”。后来人们纷纷用wild-goose chase来表示a pursuit of anything as unlikely to be caught as a wild goose。

参考双语例句：

Lois said she knew the way so we followed her car, but she took us on a wild goose chase all round the country lanes instead of taking the direct route along the main road.

洛伊斯说她认识路，因此我们跟在她的汽车后面，但是她带着我们老是绕着乡村单向行车道徒劳地行驶，而不是沿着大道笔直行驶。

From the beginning he has never concealed his belief that Professor Challenger is an absolute fraud, that we are all embarked upon an absurd wild-goose chase and that we are likely to reap nothing but disappointment and danger in South America, and corresponding ridicule in England.

自一开始，他就从未掩饰他认为Challenger教授是个彻底冒牌货的观点。他相信我们都在从事一场荒唐的、白费力气的追逐。我们的收获可能只有失望、在南美的危险，以及英国那边随之而来的嘲笑。