The New Dictionary.
Search dictionary
Chinese/Dictionary entry

东施效颦

Dōng Shī xiào píndictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
lit. Dong Shi imitates Xi Shi's frown (idiom) / fig. to mimick sb's idiosyncrasies but make a fool of oneself
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-6aedaac19d506e50. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

東施效顰 东施效颦 [Dong1 Shi1 xiao4 pin2] /lit. Dong Shi imitates Xi Shi's frown (idiom)/fig. to mimick sb's idiosyncrasies but make a fool of oneself/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 東施效顰

  • 东
    dōng

    east / host (i.e. sitting on east side of guest) / landlord

    Dōng

    surname Dong

  • 施
    shī

    (bound form) to put into effect (regulations etc) / to distribute (alms etc) / to apply (fertilizer etc)

    Shī

    surname Shi

  • 效
    xiào

    to imitate (variant of 效[xiào]) / effect / efficacy / to imitate

  • 颦
    pín

    to scowl / to knit the brows

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.