无心插柳柳成阴 in English wu2 xin1 cha1 liu3 liu3 cheng2 yin1 Meaning

Meanings

  • literally (word for word) idly poke a stick in the mud and it grows into a tree to shade you
  • (metaphorically) unintentional actions may bring unexpected success
  • also written 無心插柳柳成蔭|无心插柳柳成荫

Simplified Characters

无 心 插 柳 柳 成 阴

Traditional Characters

無 心 插 柳 柳 成 陰

Pinyin

wu2 xin1 cha1 liu3 liu3 cheng2 yin1

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

无wu2not to have 心xin1heart 插cha1to insert 柳liu3surname Liu 柳liu3surname Liu 成cheng2surname Cheng 阴yin1surname Yin