To attempt something ambitious or difficult but fail to achieve it, often resulting in a poor imitation and becoming a laughingstock.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Antonym:
Story:
In the early Eastern Han Dynasty, General Ma Yuan, known as Fubo General, was very strict in educating his nephews and younger generations, hoping they would become useful talents. He disliked his nephews Ma Yan and Ma Dun gossiping behind people's backs.
He wrote a letter, 'Admonitions to My Nephews Yan and Dun,' to warn them, advising them to learn from exemplary figures like Du Jiliang and Long Bogao.
He warned that if they failed to learn from these esteemed individuals, it would be like attempting to draw a tiger but failing, and instead drawing something that resembled a dog, becoming an object of ridicule.