try to shorten the neck of a crane and lengthen that of an owl -- to go against nature

try to shorten the neck of a crane and lengthen that of an owl -- to go against nature

Duanhejifu, a Chinese idiom, means something that goes against the law of nature and cannot be done. It comes from Zhuangzi's parallel thumb.

Idiom explanation

Shorten the crane's long legs and the duck's short legs. It refers to things that violate the laws of nature and cannot be done.

The origin of Idioms

"The elder is not redundant, and the shorter is not insufficient. Therefore, although the Fu shin is short, the one who continues it is worried. Although the crane shin is long, the one who breaks it is sad." Cheng xuanyingshu: "if you want to cut off the length of the crane and continue the length of the Fu, you will think it's the same. If you are deeply obedient to nature, you will lose your nature." It comes from Zhuangzi's parallel thumb.