有意栽花花不發，無心插柳柳成陰 yǒu yì zāi huā huā bù fā ， wú xīn chā liǔ liǔ chéng yīn

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. you plant a garden and the flowers do not bloom, you poke a stick in the mud and it grows into a tree
  2. fig. things do not always turn out as one would expect
  3. well-laid plans may fail, and success may come where you least expect it

CHARACTERS

有 yǒu
HSK 1
have, own, possess; exist
意 yì
HSK 2
thought, idea, opinion; think
栽 zāi
HSK 6
to cultivate, plant; to care for plants
花 huā
HSK 3
flower; blossoms
花 huā
HSK 3
flower; blossoms
不 bù
HSK 1
no, not; un-; negative prefix
發 fā issue, dispatch, send out, emit
無 wú negative, no, not; lack, have no
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
陰 yīn 'female' principle; dark; secret