东施效颦 in English Dong1 Shi1 xiao4 pin2 Meaning

Meanings

  • literally (word for word) Dong Shi imitates Xi Shi's frown (idiomatic expression)
  • metaphorically to mimick somebody's idiosyncrasies but make a fool of oneself

Simplified Characters

东 施 效 颦

Traditional Characters

東 施 效 顰

Pinyin

Dong1 Shi1 xiao4 pin2

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

东dong1surname Dong 施shi1surname Shi 效xiao4variant of 傚|效[xiao4] 颦pin2to scowl