画虎类狗 painting a tiger like a dog
Explanation
比喻模仿不到家，反而不伦不类。
A metaphor for an imitation that has not been successful and therefore appears clumsy or inappropriate.
Origin Story
东汉时期，名将马援非常重视对子侄的教育，他希望他们都能成为国家的栋梁之才。但是，他发现自己的侄子马严和马敦不务正业，喜欢在背后议论他人是非。为了引导他们走上正路，马援写信给他们，告诫他们要学习杜季良和龙伯高那样有作为的人，不要做那些无用之事。信中他写道：效法前贤，不能成功，只会成为世人轻视的对象，就像画虎不成反类狗一样。马援的这封信，深刻地阐述了学习的重要性，以及不能半途而废，如果不能真正掌握知识和技能，只能落得个模仿不到家，不伦不类。
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the famous general Ma Yuan attached great importance to the education of his nephews and nieces. He hoped that they would all become pillars of the state. However, he found that his nephews Ma Yan and Ma Dun neglected their duties and loved to gossip behind others' backs. In order to guide them on the right path, Ma Yuan wrote a letter to them, urging them to learn from those who had accomplished something, like Du Jiliang and Long Bogao, and not to do useless things. In his letter, he wrote: Those who try to emulate previous sages but are unsuccessful will only become objects of the world's contempt, just like one cannot draw a tiger and instead draws a dog. Ma Yuan's letter profoundly expounds on the importance of learning and the necessity of not giving up halfway. If one cannot truly master knowledge and skills, one will only end up with a poor imitation that is clumsy and inappropriate.
Usage
用于形容模仿不到位，反而弄巧成拙的情况。
Used to describe a situation where the imitation is not in place, but rather counterproductive.
Examples
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他模仿名家画作，结果画虎不成反类犬。
ta momfang mingjia zuo, jieguo huahu bu cheng fan leiqun
He imitated the works of famous masters, but the result was rather mediocre, more like a dog than a tiger.
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他的书法虽然模仿名家，但终究画虎类狗，缺乏自己的特色。
ta de shufu suiran momfang mingjia, dan zhongjiu huahu leigou, quefa ziji de teshe
His calligraphy, although it imitated famous masters, was ultimately rather poor and lacked originality.