东施效颦Dongshi Imitates Eyebrows Knitting

Dongshi Imitates Eyebrows Knitting(1)（成语 东施效颦 英文）


Xishi(2), known for her peerless beauty, was beset by some sort of heart trouble, and so she was often seen knitting her brows and walking with a hand on her chest.

Now there was an ugly woman in the neighbourhood who one day saw Xishi in the village street. In admiration she returned home determined to imitate Xishi's way of walking and mannerisms. But this only increased her ugliness. So much so that everytime she walked abroad the rich would, shut their doors tight and disdain to come out, while the poor with their wives and children would avoid her and quickly turn their steps away.

Alas, that woman mistook frowning for something invariably beautiful, and was unaware that it only adds beauty to a real beauty.

_________remark_____________
(1) Dong in the name Dongshi literally means "east" while xi in Xishi means "west". In Chinese dong and xi are usually used to show two name of the ugly woman as Dongshi, which was an addition by later generations. Another source found in the Qing Dynasty, however, records that in the county to which the village mentioned in the story belonged, there were actually two families, one being Xishi and the other Dongshi.
(2) an acclaimed beauty in the State of Yue during the Spring and Autumn Period(770-476 BC).

东施效颦(chinese idioms)

春秋时代，越国有一位美女名叫西施，无论举手投足，还是音容笑貌，样样都惹人喜爱。西施略用淡妆，衣着朴素，走到哪里，哪里就有很多人向她行“注目礼”，没有人不惊叹她的美貌。

西施患有心口疼的毛病。有一天，她的病又犯了，只见她手捂胸口，双眉皱起，流露出一种娇媚柔弱的女性美。当她从乡间走过的时候，乡里人无不睁大眼睛注视。

乡下有一个丑女子，名叫东施，相貌一般，没有修养。她平时动作粗俗，说话大声大气，却一天到晚做着当美女的梦。今天穿这样的衣服，明天梳那样的发式，却仍然没有一个人说她漂亮。

这一天，她看到西施捂着胸口、皱着双眉的样子竟博得这么多人的青睐，因此回去以后，她也学着西施的样子，手捂胸口，紧皱眉头，在村里走来走去。哪知这丑女的娇揉造作使她样子更难看了。结果，乡间的富人看见丑女的怪模样，马上把门紧紧关上；乡间的穷人看见丑女走过来，马上拉着妻、带着孩子远远地躲开。人们见了这个怪模怪样模仿西施心口疼，在村里走来走去的丑女人，简直像见了瘟神一般。

这个丑女人只知道西施皱眉的样子很美，却不知道她为什么很美，而去简单模仿她的样子，结果反被人讥笑。