Dong shi, an ugly woman, knitting her brows in imitation of the famous beauty Xi shi, only to make herself uglier 　 Blind imitation with ludicrous effect

Xi Shi, a famous beauty in ancient China, lived during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476BC). She was so beautiful that people admired her even when she was ill and went without any make-up. Once she was suffering from chest pains when she was out. So she frowned and put her hands on her chest. People thought she was even more beautiful this way.

Her neighbor, Dong Shi, was an ugly girl and wanted very much to be beautiful. Seeing the beauty of the ailing Xi Shi, Dong Shi tried to knit her brows and hold her chest in imitation. To her disappointment, the sight of her antics disgusted all the villagers, with the result that the rich shut themselves up in their houses and the poor took their families far away.

This story was condensed into the idiom . It tells people that the mechanical imitation of others will only result in bad effect.