vẽ hổ không thành
Definition
- Idiom:
- To draw a tiger but end up with a dog: To attempt something ambitious or grand but produce a poor, laughable, or inferior result due to lack of skill, overreaching, or failure in execution. It describes a failed attempt where the outcome is a crude or disappointing imitation of the original intent.
Usage Examples
- Idiom:
- Anh ấy định sửa chiếc xe nhưng vẽ hổ không thành, giờ nó còn tệ hơn trước. (He tried to fix the car but drew a tiger and got a dog; now it's worse than before.)
- Kế hoạch marketing quá tham vọng, cuối cùng chỉ là vẽ hổ không thành. (The marketing plan was too ambitious and ended up being a case of drawing a tiger and getting a dog.)
Advanced Usage
- This idiom is often used to critique creative, technical, or strategic endeavors that fall far short of their intended grandeur. It implies not just failure, but a failure that results in something comically or pathetically inadequate.
Variants and Related Words
- Vẽ rồng vẽ rắn (idiom): To embellish or add unnecessary, complicated details; to overcomplicate a story or plan.
- Đừng có vẽ rồng vẽ rắn, hãy nói sự thật đi. (Don't embellish the story; just tell the truth.)
Synonyms
- To bite off more than one can chew: To try to do something that is too difficult.
- A botched job: Work that is done badly.
- A poor imitation: A copy that is much worse than the original.
Related Idioms
- Đầu voi đuôi chuột (lit. "head of an elephant, tail of a mouse"): Something that starts impressively but ends poorly or insignificantly.
- Dự án đó thật sự là đầu voi đuôi chuột. (That project was truly a grand beginning but a pitiful end.)