东施效颦

東施效顰

dōngshī-xiàopín

idiom

Meanings

1 Dongshi imitates the frown
2 clumsy imitation that produces the opposite effect

Characters

east (i.e. Dongshi, the imitator)

Examples

HSK 1

别人怎么做你就怎么做，这是东施效颦。

Biérén zěnme zuò nǐ jiù zěnme zuò, zhè shì dōngshī-xiàopín.

Copying exactly what others do is a clumsy imitation.

HSK 4

他学别人的风格，结果东施效颦，闹了笑话。

Tā xué biérén de fēnggé, jiéguǒ dōngshī-xiàopín, nào le xiàohua.

He tried to imitate someone else's style and just made himself ridiculous.

Tips

history

From 《庄子·天运》: Xi Shi (西施), the famous Spring and Autumn beauty, had a heart ailment and looked lovely even while frowning in pain. The ugly woman Dongshi (东施) tried to imitate the frown, but only looked more unappealing - so unappealing that rich neighbors shut their doors and the poor fled with their families.

Stroke Order

东 dōng

施 shī

效 xiào

颦 pín