邯郸学步
邯郸学步 (hán dān xué bù) literally means “handan learn walking” and expresses “lose abilities through misguided imitation”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving wisdom and learning.
Also searched as: han dan xue bu, han dan xue bu,邯郸学步 meaning, 邯郸学步 in english
Lose abilities through misguided imitation
Pronunciation: hán dān xué bù Literal meaning: Handan learn walking
Origin & Usage
The Zhuangzi asks whether you have not heard about the young man of Shouling who went to Handan (邯郸) to learn how they walked there (学步). He never acquired their gait, and lost his own along the way, and had to crawl home. That is the whole story and it is two lines long. The phrase describes imitation that costs the imitator what they already had, and it is sharper than simply copying badly — the loss is the point.
Examples
English: "The writer abandoned his natural style to poorly imitate a famous author"
Chinese: 这位作家放弃了自己的自然风格，拙劣地模仿一位著名作家
Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about wisdom & learning
学富五车
xué fù wǔ chē
Extremely learned
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刻舟求剑
kè zhōu qiú jiàn
Using outdated methods foolishly
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闭门造车
bì mén zào chē
Creating without practical feedback
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班门弄斧
bān mén nòng fǔ
Showing amateur skills to masters
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盲人摸象
máng rén mō xiàng
Mistaking partial knowledge for complete wisdom
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南辕北辙
nán yuán běi zhé
Actions contrary to one's goals
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入乡随俗
rù xiāng suí sú
Adopt the customs of where you are
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鬼斧神工
guǐ fǔ shén gōng
Supernatural craftsmanship
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 邯郸学步 mean in English?
邯郸学步 (hán dān xué bù) literally translates to “Handan learn walking” and is used to express “Lose abilities through misguided imitation”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Wisdom & Learning category.
When is 邯郸学步 used?
Situation: The writer abandoned his natural style to poorly imitate a famous author
What is the pinyin for 邯郸学步?
The pinyin pronunciation for 邯郸学步 is “hán dān xué bù”.