Hanzi Now
刻鹄成鹜
刻鹄成鹜
刻鹄成鹜
刻鹄成鹜
刻鹄成鹜
刻鹄成鹜
刻鹄成鹜

刻鹄成鹜 — “Carve a swan and make it a duck”

刻鹄成鹜 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to imitate something but only achieve a rough or somewhat similar resemblance, often implying a less-than-perfect copy that is still recognizable”. Literally, “carve a swan and make it a duck”.

Frequency

刻鹄成鹜 Pronunciation and Pinyin

刻鹄成鹜 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
刻		kè8carve, quarter hour, harsh
鹄		gǔ12archery target or swan
成		chéng7to become or succeed
鹜		wù14eagerly flock like ducks

Example Sentence with 刻鹄成鹜

学习别人的经验固然重要，但也要避免一味模仿，最后刻鹄成鹜，失去自己的特色。
While learning from others' experiences is important, one should also avoid blind imitation, lest they "carve a swan and make it a duck" and lose their own distinctiveness.

Idioms Related to 刻鹄成鹜

Synonyms of 刻鹄成鹜

More idioms starting with 刻

Recommended tools

Bingo Cards

Picture and word Bingo for your class

Open the tool →

Chinese Text Image Generator

Create PNGs with pinyin, highlight character parts or remove strokes

Open the tool →

Picture Worksheets

Chinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets

Open the tool →

Character Highlight Animator

Choose character parts and animate their colors, together or in stroke order

Open the tool →

Questions about 刻鹄成鹜

What does 刻鹄成鹜 mean?

刻鹄成鹜 (kè gǔ chéng wù) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to imitate something but only achieve a rough or somewhat similar resemblance, often implying a less-than-perfect copy that is still recognizable”.

How do you pronounce 刻鹄成鹜?

刻鹄成鹜 is pronounced kè gǔ chéng wù in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 刻鹄成鹜 literally mean?

Literally, 刻鹄成鹜 means “carve a swan and make it a duck”. It is used to mean “to imitate something but only achieve a rough or somewhat similar resemblance, often implying a less-than-perfect copy that is still recognizable”.

What is the Chinese definition of 刻鹄成鹜?

比喻模仿的虽然不逼真，但还相似。同“刻鹄类鹜”。