无心插柳柳成阴 wú xīn chā liǔ liǔ chéng yīn

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. idly poke a stick in the mud and it grows into a tree to shade you
  2. (fig.) unintentional actions may bring unexpected success
  3. also written 無心插柳柳成蔭|无心插柳柳成荫

CHARACTERS

无 wú
HSK 4
negative, no, not; KangXi radical 71
心 xīn
HSK 3
heart; mind, intelligence; soul
插 chā
HSK 5
insert, stick into; plant
柳 liǔ willow tree; pleasure
柳 liǔ willow tree; pleasure
成 chéng
HSK 3
completed, finished, fixed
阴 yīn
HSK 2
'female' principle; dark; secret