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東施效顰

简东施效颦 · 繁東施效顰

Mandarin · pinyin Dōng Shī xiào pín

lit. Dong Shi imitates Xi Shi's frown (idiom)
fig. to mimick sb's idiosyncrasies but make a fool of oneself

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Characters in this entry

東: dōng · east, eastern, eastward
施: shī · grant, bestow; give; act; name
效: xiào · result, effect; effectiveness
顰: Look up this written character
东: dōng · east, eastern, eastward
颦: pín · frown, knit brows; with knitted

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–1–4–2 · Dong1 Shi1 xiao4 pin2

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

東施效顰 · find source passages ↗ · 东施效颦 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

dung1 si1 haau6 pan4

Cantonese word readings for 東施效顰. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to imitate others only to make a fool of oneself; to attempt a crude or awkward imitation

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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