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弄巧成拙

nòng qiǎo chéng zhuōdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
to overreach oneself / to try to be clever and end up with egg on one's face
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-f4b0de579e99c904. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

弄巧成拙 弄巧成拙 [nong4 qiao3 cheng2 zhuo1] /to overreach oneself/to try to be clever and end up with egg on one's face/

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.

  • 弄
    lòng

    lane / alley

    nòng

    to do / to manage / to handle / to play with / to fool with / to mess with / to fix / to toy with

  • 巧
    qiǎo

    opportunely / coincidentally / as it happens / skillful / timely

  • 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]

  • 拙
    zhuō

    awkward / clumsy / dull / inelegant / (polite) my / Taiwan pr. [zhuó]

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.