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

Duanhe Xufu, a Chinese idiom, Pinyin is Du à NH è x à f ú, which means to cut off the crane's long legs to take over the duck's short legs. It means to act against the laws of nature. It comes from Zhuangzi's parallel thumb.

Idiom explanation

Break: cut; continue: connect; Fu: wild duck.

The origin of Idioms

Zhuangzi's parallel thumb: "the elder is not redundant, the shorter is not insufficient. Therefore, although the Fu shin is short, it will be sad if it is continued; while the crane shin is long, it will be sad if it is broken. "

Idiom usage

It is against the law of nature. Examples: Duanhe Xufu is a charming writer, and the founder is strange. Pu Songling's Liao Zhai Zhi Yi Lu Fen in Qing Dynasty

Idiom story

An eventful man saw groups of wild ducks and white cranes pecking and playing in the water. He found that the legs of cranes are long and the legs of wild ducks are short. So he pretended to pose, lengthening the legs of wild ducks and shortening the legs of cranes. As a result, they were unable to walk.

The meaning of Idioms

Chuang Tzu's words are not pandering to villains or excusing villains from doing evil, but to awaken those who are keen to be gentlemen.