To attempt to imitate something grand or impressive but fail miserably, resulting in a poor, often ridiculous, imitation; to make a botch of something by attempting more than one is capable of.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Story:
In the early Eastern Han Dynasty, General Fubo Ma Yuan 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 about others behind their backs.
He wrote a letter, 'Admonition to My Nephews Yan and Dun,' advising them to learn from the admirable qualities of figures like Du Jiliang and Long Bogao.
He warned them that if they failed to learn well and imitate good examples, it would be like failing to draw a tiger and instead producing something that resembles a dog.