无心插柳柳成阴

無心插柳柳成陰

wúxīnchāliǔliǔchéngyīn

idiom

Meanings

1 unintentional efforts often bring unexpected success
2 what was casually planted ends up flourishing
3 you reap where you didn't sow

Characters

heart, intention

to insert, plant

Examples

他随手写的文章居然得了奖，真是无心插柳柳成阴。

Tā suíshǒu xiě de wénzhāng jūrán déle jiǎng, zhēn shì wúxīn chā liǔ liǔ chéng yīn.

The article he dashed off ended up winning a prize — truly a case of casual seeds bearing unexpected fruit.

无心插柳柳成阴，这家小店没想到会成为网红打卡地。

Wúxīn chā liǔ liǔ chéng yīn, zhè jiā xiǎo diàn méi xiǎngdào huì chéngwéi wǎnghóng dǎkǎ dì.

Quite by accident, this little shop ended up becoming a viral check-in spot.

Tips

history

Often paired in proverb form with 有心栽花花不发 (yǒuxīn zāi huā huā bù fā, 'flowers planted with care fail to bloom'), the longer saying contrasts deliberate effort that flops with idle action that thrives.

usage

Also commonly written 无心插柳柳成荫 (yīn → yīn, with 荫 instead of 阴) — both refer to the willow's shade. The 荫 version is more common in modern texts.

Stroke Order

无 wú

心 xīn

插 chā

柳 liǔ

成 chéng

阴 yīn