try to carve a swan and at least you 'll get a duck(kè hú chéng wù)

try to carve a swan and at least you 'll get a duck

Chinese idiom, Pinyin is k è h ú ch é NGW ù, which means imitation is not realistic, but similar. It comes from preface written by Juan Xin in Qing Dynasty.

essential information

Words and phrases

Pinyin: K è h ú ch é NGW ù

Explanation: Although the analogy imitates is not realistic, it is similar. It's the same as "geese like ducks".

Detailed explanation

origin

Fan Ye's biography of Ma Yuan

In the early days, his brother Yan and dun liked to ridicule, but he was a light knight. 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. 」

Source translation

At first, Ma Yan and Ma Dun, the sons of brother Ma Yuan, liked to ridicule current affairs and had little contact with Xiake. 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. Up to now, Du Jiliang still doesn't know. The generals in the county hate him as soon as they get off the bus. All the prefectures say that I always feel cold for him, so I don't want my descendants to learn from him. "

interpretation

It also refers to the imitation and distortion of metaphor, which is just the opposite. In Bixing, the literary mind and carving of dragons written by Liang Liuxie of the Southern Dynasty, it is said that "although the comparison is complicated, it is most valuable to be incisive. If we engrave the swans and birds of a feather, there is nothing we can take." In the preface to the Cong Zhi of sheltering Lu in Qing Dynasty, it is said that "if you eat the past like a stick, you will become a duck."

Related reading

In the early Eastern Han Dynasty, there were two famous people in the society, one was long BOGAO, the other was Du Jiliang. Dragon is kind-hearted, thrifty, self respecting, modest and prudent, and law-abiding. When his father died, people hundreds of miles away came to mourn. At that time, when people taught their children, they used these two as examples.

Ma Yuan, a famous general at that time, led the soldiers to fight outside. In his letter to his children, he admonished: "I respect long BOGAO and Du Jiliang, but I would rather you learn from long BOGAO than Du Jiliang. Why? If long Bo is not good at high school, he can also become an honest person, "if he can't carve a swan, he can still be a duck"; if he can't learn from Du Jiliang, he can easily become a frivolous and dissolute person, that is, "if he can't paint a tiger, he can be a dog." Ma Yuan's parenting attitude was approved by many people, and even Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu praised Ma Yuan's insight

Chinese PinYin : kè hú chéng wù