东施效颦 (Dōng Shī xiào pín): lit. Dong Shi imitates Xi Shi's frown; fig. to mimick sb's idiosyncrasies but make a fool of oneself
东施效颦
lit. Dong Shi imitates Xi Shi's frown; fig. to mimick sb's idiosyncrasies but make a fool of oneself
Dong Shi copied the beautiful Xi Shi's pained frown and only looked worse for it. For imitation that borrows the surface of something and misses whatever made it work.