东施效颦 dōng shī xiào pín

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. Dong Shi imitates Xi Shi's frown (idiom)
  2. fig. to mimick sb's idiosyncrasies but make a fool of oneself

CHARACTERS

东 dōng
HSK 1
east, eastern, eastward
施 shī
HSK 5
grant, bestow; give; act; name
效 xiào
HSK 4
result, effect; effectiveness
颦 pín frown, knit brows; with knitted