Draw a tiger and carve a swan(huà hǔ kè hú)

Draw a tiger and carve a swan

interpretation

In the early Eastern Han Dynasty, Fubo General Ma Yuan was very strict with the education of his sons and nephews, hoping that they would become useful talents. He didn't like his nephews Ma Yan and Ma Dun gossiping behind others. He wrote a letter to admonish them to learn from Du Jiliang and long BOGAO. If you can't learn, it's like you can't draw a tiger. Instead, you can draw like a dog. Later, he used the metaphor of "painting a tiger and carving a swan" to describe his ambition and his failure to achieve anything. It also refers to the failure of a good thing and the change of a bad one.

essential information

(1) it means to aim high and never achieve anything. ② This is a metaphor for the failure of a good thing and the change of a bad one.

Detailed explanation

At the beginning of the biography of Ma Yuan in the book of the later Han Dynasty written by Fan Ye in the Southern Dynasty, his elder brothers Yan and dun liked to ridicule and despise Xiake. Before the aid, he wrote a admonition: "I want you to hear people's mistakes, just like hearing the name of your parents. You can hear them with your ears, but you can't speak them with your mouth. It's a great evil for me to discuss people's merits and demerits. I'd rather die than hear about my descendants. You and Cao know how evil I am, so when you reply, Shi Jin will tie the knot and apply for the precepts of your parents, so that you and Cao will never forget. Long BOGAO is honest and honest, Zhou Shen is speechless, modest and thrifty, honest and powerful. My love is very important. I hope you and Cao will follow suit. Du Jiliang is a gallant man. He likes righteousness, worries about people, and enjoys people's happiness. He is clear and has nothing to lose. His father's death has brought him many guests. After several counties, I love him so much that I don't want you to be effective. As a result, he is still a person of imperial edict. The so-called "draw a tiger but not a dog" is the same. As far as Ji Liang is concerned, the county will always get off the train and gnash its teeth. The prefecture thinks that I am always cold hearted, so I don't want my children and grandchildren to follow suit. At first, Ma Yan and Ma Dun, the sons of brother Ma Yuan, liked to ridicule current affairs, but they had little contact with swordsmen. Ma Yuan wrote a letter home to admonish him: "I think you should listen to other people's mistakes just like you listen to your parents' names. You can hear them with your ears, but you can't talk about them with your mouth. I like to talk about the length of people and ridicule current affairs. This is what I hate most. I would rather die than hear such behavior from my descendants. You know that I hate it very much. The reason why I want to talk about it again is that I want to state the admonition of my parents just like when a man and a woman are married, so that you will remember it. Long BOGAO is honest, considerate and prudent. He is modest, thrifty, honest and just. He has prestige. I love him very much and respect him. I hope you can learn from him. The hero Du Jiliang likes to show his loyalty, worry about others, and enjoy others. Good and bad people get along well. When his father died, people from several counties came to mourn. I love him and respect him, but I don't want you to learn from him. If you don't learn from long BOGAO, you are still a prudent and diligent person. You can't carve a swan like a duck. If you don't learn from Du Jiliang, you will degenerate into a frivolous child in the world. The so-called painting a tiger is not like painting a dog. Du Jiliang doesn't know. The generals in the county hate him as soon as they get out of the car. All the States and counties say that I'm always cold hearted for him, so I don't want my descendants to learn from him. " using examples chapter 37 of journey to the West: "the monster is powerful and becomes the same as you My apprentice has the means and will never dare to fight lightly. If we are caught by many officials, saying that we deceive the country and destroy the country, and asking about a crime of great rebellion, and being trapped in the city, is it not to draw a tiger and carve a swan? " Liu Zhiji's Shitong Liujia in Tang Dynasty said: "although Junmao's Sui Shu wanted to describe the Shang and Zhou Dynasties and the Charter of Yu Xia, it was like Confucius' family language and Linchuan's Shishuo, so it can be said that the painting of a tiger is not the opposite of a dog." Pu Songling's strange tales from a lonely studio Rouge in the Qing Dynasty: "I have promised you my body, but I'm afraid I'll turn a tiger into a dog, which will lead to slander." Liu Bannong read the biography of flowers on the sea: "if you don't have the intelligence to dispatch it and the strength to carry it, you'll just draw a tiger like a dog." Chapter 11 of the lamp on the wrong side of the road: "this prime minister is very clever. He is a man who can draw a tiger at the sight of a cat." Xiaoyi said with a smile, "Duanfu is not very clever. He is afraid to draw tiger like dogs."

Chinese PinYin : huà hǔ kè hú