画虎刻鹄 — “Paint a tiger, carve a swan”
画虎刻鹄 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to attempt something ambitious but fail to achieve it, often resulting in an inferior or even worse outcome due to lack of skill, inadequate preparation, or overambition; to botch an attempt at imitation”. Literally, “Paint a tiger, carve a swan”.
Frequency
画虎刻鹄 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 画huà
- 虎hǔ
- 刻kè
- 鹄gǔ
画虎刻鹄 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 画虎刻鹄
他想在短期内完成一个大项目，但因为缺乏经验和准备，结果画虎刻鹄，项目效果不尽人意。
He wanted to complete a large project in a short time, but due to lack of experience and preparation, he ended up drawing a tiger but carving a swan, and the project's outcome was far from satisfactory.
Idioms Related to 画虎刻鹄
Synonyms of 画虎刻鹄
More idioms starting with 画
- huà画yī一zhī之fǎ法a uniform law or policy
- huà画zhōng中yǒu有shī诗poetry in painting
- huà画luǎn卵diāo雕xīn薪indulge in extreme extravagance
- huà画tǔ土fēn分jiāng疆divide and demarcate territory
- huà画dì地wéi为láo牢confine oneself to a designated scope
- huà画dì地wéi为láo牢，，yì议bù不rù入confined by fear, dare not overstep
- huà画dì地wéi为yù狱restrict to a specified sphere
- huà画dì地wéi为yù狱，，shì势bù不rù入Tyrannical power creates insurmountable fear
- huà画dì地zuò作yù狱confine to a designated area
- huà画dì地kè刻mù木to be jailed and interrogated
- huà画dì地chéng成tú图demonstrate exceptional talent and skill
- huà画dì地chéng成láo牢Confine oneself to a limited scope
Questions about 画虎刻鹄
- What does 画虎刻鹄 mean?
- 画虎刻鹄 (huà hǔ kè gǔ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to attempt something ambitious but fail to achieve it, often resulting in an inferior or even worse outcome due to lack of skill, inadequate preparation, or overambition; to botch an attempt at imitation”.
- How do you pronounce 画虎刻鹄?
- 画虎刻鹄 is pronounced huà hǔ kè gǔ in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 画虎刻鹄 literally mean?
- Literally, 画虎刻鹄 means “Paint a tiger, carve a swan”. It is used to mean “to attempt something ambitious but fail to achieve it, often resulting in an inferior or even worse outcome due to lack of skill, inadequate preparation, or overambition; to botch an attempt at imitation”.
- What is the Chinese definition of 画虎刻鹄?
- ①比喻好高鹜远，终无成就。②比喻好事做不成，反变了坏事。