续凫断鹤 — “Lengthening the duck's legs and shortening the crane's”
续凫断鹤 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to try to improve something by altering its inherent nature, often with detrimental or counterproductive results; to go against the natural order and cause harm instead of benefit”. Literally, “Lengthening the duck's legs and shortening the crane's”.
续凫断鹤 Pronunciation and Pinyin
续凫断鹤 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 续凫断鹤
Origin and Story of 续凫断鹤
Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a foolish but kind-hearted person who saw groups of wild ducks and white cranes pecking for food and playing in the water in the countryside.
He noticed that cranes had long legs while ducks had short legs. Thinking that it would be inconvenient for them to walk together like this, he caught them.
He then cut off a section of the crane's leg and attached it to the duck's leg.
As a result, neither of them could walk anymore.
Idioms Related to 续凫断鹤
Synonyms of 续凫断鹤
More idioms starting with 续
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Open the tool →Questions about 续凫断鹤
What does 续凫断鹤 mean?
续凫断鹤 (xù fú duàn hè) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to try to improve something by altering its inherent nature, often with detrimental or counterproductive results; to go against the natural order and cause harm instead of benefit”.
How do you pronounce 续凫断鹤?
续凫断鹤 is pronounced xù fú duàn hè in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 续凫断鹤 literally mean?
Literally, 续凫断鹤 means “Lengthening the duck's legs and shortening the crane's”. It is used to mean “to try to improve something by altering its inherent nature, often with detrimental or counterproductive results; to go against the natural order and cause harm instead of benefit”.
Where does 续凫断鹤 come from?
续凫断鹤 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 续凫断鹤?
比喻违失事物本性，欲益反损。