What does Dong Shi Xiaochun tell us?

The principle of imitating others: It tells us not to blindly imitate others, but to know why others do what they do and what is the benefit of doing so. Otherwise, it will just end up being a joke.

Explanation: Metaphors are copied indiscriminately, but the results are counterproductive and make things worse.

Pronunciation: dōng shī xiào pín.

Source: "Zhuangzi Tianyun": Xi Shi's heart is sick and he keeps a close eye on the inside. People see the ugliness inside and find beauty in it. When the rich people there saw him, they closed their doors and refused to come out; when the poor people saw him, they grabbed their wives and ran away. He knows that it is beautiful, but he does not know why it is beautiful.

Synonyms: Handan learning to walk, copying by rote, self-defeating.

Antonyms: unconventional, original, original, new approach, learning from each other's strengths.

The story of Dong Shi’s imitation

Xi Shi had a fellow villager, her name was Dong Shi. Although Dong Shi’s name shared the same character as Xi Shi, she was not as beautiful as Xi Shi. Not only is her appearance ordinary, but she also doesn't have much intellectual content. Her daily behavior is also very extravagant, and she doesn't have any of the implicit beauty of ancient traditional women.

One time Dong Shi saw Xi Shi holding her chest and frowning and was very popular, so after she returned, she often followed Xi Shi's example of covering her chest and frowning and walking around the village. , hoping that others would praise her like Xi Tzu when they saw her doing the same movements, but she didn't know that his own pretentiousness made others even more disgusted.