How do you pronounce 刻鹄类鹜?

刻鹄类鹜 is pronounced kè hú lèi wù in Mandarin Chinese.

Where does 刻鹄类鹜 come from?

刻鹄类鹜 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 刻鹄类鹜?

刻：刻画；鹄：天鹅；类：似，象；鹜：鸭子。画天鹅不成，仍有些象鸭子。比喻模仿的虽然不逼真，但还相似。

刻鹄类鹜 — “Carve a swan, resemble a duck”

刻鹄类鹜 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to imitate something but fail to achieve perfect resemblance, yet still manage to produce something similar, though perhaps of a lesser quality; to produce an approximation”. Literally, “Carve a swan, resemble a duck”.

Frequency

刻鹄类鹜 Pronunciation and Pinyin

刻kè
鹄hú
类lèi
鹜wù

刻鹄类鹜 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
刻	kè	8	carve, quarter hour, harsh
鹄	hú	12	archery target or swan
类	lèi	9	category, type, class
鹜	wù	14	eagerly flock like ducks

Example Sentence with 刻鹄类鹜

他的画技虽不精湛，但每次临摹名作，总能刻鹄类鹜，让人一眼便看出原画的影子。

Although his painting skills are not superb, every time he copies a masterpiece, he always manages to carve a swan and resemble a duck, allowing people to instantly see the shadow of the original work.

Origin and Story of 刻鹄类鹜

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, General Ma Yuan wrote a letter to his nephew, advising him to learn from the cautious and incorruptible Long Shu, and not from the chivalrous Du Bao.

He explained that if one tries to emulate Long Shu but fails, one might still become a prudent person, just like attempting to carve a swan but ending up with something resembling a duck.

However, if one tries to emulate Du Bao and fails, one might become a frivolous and irresponsible person, which is like trying to draw a tiger but ending up with a dog.

Idioms Related to 刻鹄类鹜

Synonyms of 刻鹄类鹜

More idioms starting with 刻

Questions about 刻鹄类鹜

What does 刻鹄类鹜 mean?: 刻鹄类鹜 (kè hú lèi wù) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to imitate something but fail to achieve perfect resemblance, yet still manage to produce something similar, though perhaps of a lesser quality; to produce an approximation”.
How do you pronounce 刻鹄类鹜?: 刻鹄类鹜 is pronounced kè hú lèi wù in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 刻鹄类鹜 literally mean?: Literally, 刻鹄类鹜 means “Carve a swan, resemble a duck”. It is used to mean “to imitate something but fail to achieve perfect resemblance, yet still manage to produce something similar, though perhaps of a lesser quality; to produce an approximation”.
Where does 刻鹄类鹜 come from?: 刻鹄类鹜 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 刻鹄类鹜?: 刻：刻画；鹄：天鹅；类：似，象；鹜：鸭子。画天鹅不成，仍有些象鸭子。比喻模仿的虽然不逼真，但还相似。

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