照葫芦画瓢 zhào hú lu huà piáo copy a gourd

Explanation

比喻按照现成的样子模仿。也比喻死板地模仿，缺乏创造性。

It's a metaphor for imitating according to existing patterns. It also means rigidly imitating and lacking creativity.

Origin Story

话说宋朝时期，一位名叫张三的年轻画家，一心想成为著名的宫廷画家。他听说宫廷里有一位技艺精湛的师傅，便前往拜师学习。师傅接纳了他，但并没有直接传授技艺，而是让他先临摹一些经典名作。张三起初很认真地临摹，笔法娴熟，颜色搭配得当，作品惟妙惟肖。然而，他总是按照画作本身去摹仿，不敢有丝毫的创新和改动，生怕自己的作品与原作有所出入。时间一长，师傅发现张三的进步很慢，于是便指点他：绘画并非机械式的模仿，而是要融汇贯通，有所创新。师傅拿来一个葫芦，让他先仔细观察，然后自己创作。张三按照葫芦的形状，画出了一幅惟妙惟肖的作品，但师傅却批评他的作品千篇一律，缺乏自己的风格。师傅告诉他，绘画要用心去感受，用自己的想法去创作，而不是简单地照葫芦画瓢。张三听了师傅的教诲，开始认真思考，努力探索，并尝试将自己的想法融入到绘画中，终于创作出了属于自己的独特风格的作品，最终成为了宫廷里备受赞赏的画家。

huà shuō sòng cháo shí qī, yī wèi míng jiào zhāng sān de nián qīng huà jiā, yī xīn xiǎng chéngwéi zhùmíng de gōng tíng huà jiā. tā tīng shuō gōng tíng lǐ yǒu yī wèi jì yì jīng zhàn de shīfu, biàn qián wǎng bài shī xuéxí. shīfu jiē nà le tā, dàn bìng méiyǒu zhí jiē chuán shòu jì yì, ér shì ràng tā xiān lín mó yīxiē jīng diǎn míng zuò. zhāng sān qǐ chū hěn rèn zhēn de lín mó, bǐ fǎ xián shú, yán sè dài pèi de dāng, zuò pǐn wéi miào wéi xiāo. rán ér, tā zǒng shì àn zhào huà zuò běn shēn qù mó fǎng, bù gǎn yǒu sī háo de chuàngxīn hé gǎi dòng, shēng pà zìjǐ de zuò pǐn yǔ yuán zuò yǒu suǒ chū rù. shí jiān yī cháng, shīfu fāxiàn zhāng sān de jìnbù hěn màn, yú shì biàn zhǐ diǎn tā: huì huà bìng fēi jīxiè shì de mó fǎng, ér shì yào róng huì guàn tōng, yǒu suǒ chuàngxīn. shīfu ná lái yīgè hú lu, ràng tā xiān zǐxì guān chá, rán hòu zìjǐ chuàngzuò. zhāng sān àn zhào hú lu de xíngzhuàng, huà chū le yī fú wéi miào wéi xiāo de zuò pǐn, dàn shīfu què pīpíng tā de zuò pǐn qiānpānyīlǜ, quēfá zìjǐ de fēnggé. shīfu gàosù tā, huì huà yào yòng xīn qù gǎnshòu, yòng zìjǐ de xiǎngfǎ qù chuàngzuò, ér bù shì jiǎndān de zhào hú lu huà piáo. zhāng sān tīng le shīfu de jiàohuì, kāishǐ rènzhēn sīkǎo, nǔlì tàn suǒ, bìng cháng shì jiāng zìjǐ de xiǎngfǎ róng rù dào huì huà zhōng, zhōng yú chuàngzuò chū le shǔyú zìjǐ de dú tè fēnggé de zuò pǐn, zhōng yú chéngwéi le gōng tíng lǐ bèi shòu zànshǎng de huà jiā.

During the Song Dynasty, a young painter named Zhang San aspired to become a renowned court painter. Hearing of a master craftsman in the palace, he sought apprenticeship. The master accepted him, but instead of direct instruction, he had Zhang San first copy classic masterpieces. Initially, Zhang San meticulously copied, demonstrating skillful brushwork and harmonious color combinations, creating remarkably realistic works. However, he rigidly adhered to the originals, fearing deviation. Over time, the master noticed Zhang San's slow progress and advised that painting wasn't merely mechanical imitation, but required holistic understanding and innovation. The master presented a gourd, instructing Zhang San to observe it carefully then create his own work. Zhang San accurately depicted the gourd, yet the master criticized the work's uniformity and lack of style. He explained that painting demanded heartfelt expression and personal interpretation, not mere imitation. Heeding this, Zhang San pondered, experimented, integrated his ideas, and ultimately developed his distinctive style, becoming a celebrated court painter.

Usage

用作谓语、宾语；指模仿；用于贬义

yòng zuò wèiyǔ, bǐnyǔ; zhǐ mófǎng; yòng yú biǎnyì

Used as predicate and object; to imitate; used in derogatory sense

Examples

• 小王做事总是照葫芦画瓢，缺乏创新精神。

  xiǎo wáng zuò shì zǒng shì zhào hú lu huà piáo, quēfá chuàngxīn jīngshen

  Xiao Wang always follows suit, lacking creativity.

• 他画画水平不高，只会照葫芦画瓢地模仿

  tā huà huà shuǐpíng bù gāo, zhǐ huì zhào hú lu huà piáo de mófǎng

  He is not good at painting and can only copy

Related Idioms

• 依样画葫芦

• 照猫画虎

Opposite Idioms

• 创新

• 创造