try to shorten the neck of a crane and lengthen that of an owl -- to go against nature
Duanhejifu, a Chinese idiom, means something that goes against the law of nature and cannot be done. It comes from Zhuangzi's parallel thumb.
Idiom explanation
Shorten the crane's long legs and the duck's short legs. It refers to things that violate the laws of nature and cannot be done.
The origin of Idioms
"The elder is not redundant, and the shorter is not insufficient. Therefore, although the Fu shin is short, the one who continues it is worried. Although the crane shin is long, the one who breaks it is sad." Cheng xuanyingshu: "if you want to cut off the length of the crane and continue the length of the Fu, you will think it's the same. If you are deeply obedient to nature, you will lose your nature." It comes from Zhuangzi's parallel thumb.
Chinese PinYin : duan he xu fu
try to shorten the neck of a crane and lengthen that of an owl -- to go against nature
dissipated young sets who take a fancy to lewdness. yóu fēng xì dié
unable to get up after a fall. yī juě bù xīng
be unpopular;not enjoy popular support. bù dé rén xīn
See the pig and bear the burden. jiàn shǐ fù tú