During the Spring and Autumn Period, the state of Yue had a stunning beauty named Xishi, with flowing black hair, a graceful figure, and luminous skin that captivated all who saw her. She suffered from heart pain, and when it flared, she would press her chest, furrow her brows, and walk slowly—a sight that made her seem even more delicate and endearing, stirring deep sympathy and protective feelings in everyone.
In a village lived an ugly woman named Dongshi, who saw the beautiful Xishi looking ill and thought it made her seem elegant. So Dongshi imitated her, pressing a hand to her chest, knitting her brows, and shuffling slowly through the streets. But Dongshi was stout, and as she swayed her hips and twisted her face, her dark features scrunched together like a hideous demon, making everyone who saw her flee in horror.
When the wealthy villagers spotted her from afar, they rushed home and slammed their gates shut in terror, while the poor, upon seeing her, grabbed their wives and children and fled.
The poor woman could not understand why everyone adored Xi Shi's furrowed brow and sickly look, yet when she imitated the same expression, people fled in terror.
She only knew that Xi Shi's frown was beautiful, but had no idea why it was beautiful. So she simply copied the gesture, putting on a false show. What she failed to realize was that Xi Shi was already a stunning beauty—without self-awareness, blindly imitating others only made her look uglier.
Later generations used the idiom "Dong Shi's Imitation" to describe a failed attempt at imitation that backfires and makes one look foolish.
Source: *Zhuangzi*, "The Turning of Heaven"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "东施效颦" came to describe a failed attempt at imitation that backfires and makes one look foolish.