无 心 插 柳 柳 成 阴

wú xīn chā liǔ liǔ chéng yīndictionary entry

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

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-7f6c9d7be80c620f. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

無心插柳柳成陰 无心插柳柳成阴 [wu2 xin1 cha1 liu3 liu3 cheng2 yin1] /lit. idly poke a stick in the mud and it grows into a tree to shade you/(fig.) unintentional actions may bring unexpected success/also written 無心插柳柳成蔭|无心插柳柳成荫/

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: 無心插柳柳成陰

无
mó
used in 南無|南无[nā mó]
wú
not to have / no / none / not / to lack / un- / -less
心
xīn
heart / mind / intention / center / core / CL:顆|颗[kē],個|个[gè]
插
chā
to insert / stick in / pierce / to take part in / to interfere / to interpose
柳
liǔ
willow
Liǔ
surname Liu
柳
liǔ
willow
Liǔ
surname Liu
成
chéng
to succeed / to finish / to complete / to accomplish / to become / to turn into / to be all right / OK! / one tenth
Chéng
surname Cheng / short name for Chengdu 成都[Chéng dū]
阴
yīn
overcast (weather) / cloudy / shady / Yin (the negative principle of Yin and Yang) / negative (electric.) / feminine / moon / implicit / hidden / genitalia
Yīn
surname Yin

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.