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有意栽花花不发，无心插柳柳成阴

yǒu yì zāi huā huā bù fā , wú xīn chā liǔ liǔ chéng yīndictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
lit. you plant a garden and the flowers do not bloom, you poke a stick in the mud and it grows into a tree / fig. things do not always turn out as one would expect / well-laid plans may fail, and success may come where you least expect it
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-f521c8ee4a4c5bf1. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

有意栽花花不發，無心插柳柳成陰 有意栽花花不发，无心插柳柳成阴 [you3 yi4 zai1 hua1 hua1 bu4 fa1 , wu2 xin1 cha1 liu3 liu3 cheng2 yin1] /lit. you plant a garden and the flowers do not bloom, you poke a stick in the mud and it grows into a tree/fig. things do not always turn out as one would expect/well-laid plans may fail, and success may come where you least expect it/

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: 有意栽花花不發，無心插柳柳成陰

  • 有
    yǒu

    to have / there is / (bound form) having / with / -ful / -ed / -al (as in 有意[yǒu yì] intentional)

  • 意
    yì

    (bound form) idea / thought / meaning / sense / (bound form) intention / feeling / inclination / state of mind / (bound form) Italy (abbr. for 意大利[Yì dà lì])

  • 栽
    zāi

    to plant / to grow / to insert / to erect (e.g. a bus stop sign) / to impose sth on sb / to stumble / to fall down

  • 花
    huā

    flower / blossom / CL:朵[duǒ],支[zhī],束[shù],把[bǎ],盆[pén],簇[cù] / fancy pattern / florid / to spend (money, time) / (coll.) lecherous / lustful / also pr. [wěi]

    Huā

    surname Hua

  • 花
    huā

    flower / blossom / CL:朵[duǒ],支[zhī],束[shù],把[bǎ],盆[pén],簇[cù] / fancy pattern / florid / to spend (money, time) / (coll.) lecherous / lustful / also pr. [wěi]

    Huā

    surname Hua

  • 不
    bù

    no / not so / (bound form) not / un-

  • 发
    fā

    to send out / to show (one's feeling) / to issue / to develop / to make a bundle of money / classifier for gunshots (rounds)

    fà

    hair / Taiwan pr. [fǎ]

  • 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.