諺語 · a single proverb
東施效顰
Simplified: 东施效颦
What does 東施效顰 (dōng shī xiào pín) mean?
東施效顰 (dōng shī xiào pín) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "Dong Shi imitates Xi Shi's frown." In use it means: Blindly copying someone's behavior without understanding why it works produces the opposite of the intended effect. Xi Shi's frown was charming; Dong Shi's imitation of it was grotesque. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Water note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Monkey.
Literally: "Dong Shi imitates Xi Shi's frown."
The reading
Xi Shi frowned and people found her beautiful. Dong Shi saw this and frowned the same frown. People ran away. The frown was identical. The face was different. Imitation without understanding is the business of copying the shape and missing the reason. Find the reason first. The shape will follow.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Zhuangzi 莊子, Tian Yun 天運篇
Sits beside
井底之蛙
jǐng dǐ zhī wā
Someone with an extremely narrow view of the world, who mistakes the small circle of sky above the well for the whole sky.
冰凍三尺，非一日之寒
bīng dòng sān chǐ, fēi yī rì zhī hán
Nothing deep-a skill, a habit, a ruin-forms overnight.
心急吃不了熱豆腐
xīn jí chī bù liǎo rè dòu fu
Impatience will not speed things up.
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Humility & Self-Mastery, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Monkey, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 東施效顰 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 東施效顰 (dōng shī xiào pín) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Zhuangzi 莊子, Tian Yun 天運篇. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 東施效顰?
In Mandarin it is dōng shī xiào pín. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 東施效顰 aloud in Mandarin.