东施效颦

Pronunciation: dōng shī xiào pín Literal meaning: Dongshi imitates Xishi's frown

Origin & Usage

The Zhuangzi says that Xi Shi, sick at heart, went frowning through her village, and that a plain woman of the same village saw it and thought it lovely — so she went home and did it too, clutching her breast and frowning as she walked. The rich shut their doors; the poor took their families and left. Later tradition named her Dongshi (东施). The phrase describes copying (效) the frown (颦) without any of what made it work, and it is aimed at imitation of surface features by someone who has not asked why.

Examples

English: "The new restaurant awkwardly copied successful establishments without understanding their appeal"

Chinese: 这家新餐厅笨拙地模仿成功的餐厅，却不理解它们的吸引力