刻鹄不成尚类鹜 — “To fail in carving a swan but still end up with a duck”

刻鹄不成尚类鹜 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to fail in carving a swan but still end up with a duck”. It means an ambitious attempt, though not fully successful in achieving its grand original goal, still yields a lesser but recognizable and perhaps acceptable result. It can also serve as a warning against setting unrealistically high expectations. Literally, “Failing to carve a swan, it still resembles a duck”.