Back to Dictionary
有意栽花花不发，无心插柳柳成阴
有意栽花花不發，無心插柳柳成陰
yǒuyìzāihuāhuābùfā,wúxīnchāliǔliǔchéngyīn
1.
lit. you plant a garden and the flowers do not bloom, you poke a stick in the mud and it grows into a tree
2.
fig. things do not always turn out as one would expect
3.
well-laid plans may fail, and success may come where you least expect it
Character Breakdown
有
yǒu
to have, to own, to possess; to exist
HSK 1
6 丶
意
yì
thought, idea, opinion; desire, wish; meaning, intention
HSK 2
13 丶
栽
zāi
to cultivate, to plant, to tend
HSK 6
10 丶
花
huā
flower, blossom; to spend (time or money)
HSK 3
7 丶
花
huā
flower, blossom; to spend (time or money)
HSK 3
7 丶
不
bù
no, not, un-; negative prefix
HSK 1
4 丶
发
fā
to issue, to dispatch, to send out; hair
HSK 3
5 丶
无
wú
no, not; lacking, -less
HSK 4
4 丶
心
xīn
heart; mind; soul
HSK 3
4 丶
插
chā
to insert, to stick in; to pierce; to plant
HSK 5
12 丶
柳
liǔ
willow tree; pleasure; surname
9 丶
柳
liǔ
willow tree; pleasure; surname
9 丶
成
chéng
to accomplish; to become; to complete, to finish; to succeed
HSK 3
6 丶
阴
yīn
the female principle; dark, shaded; hidden, implicit, secret
HSK 2
6 丶
Metadata
- Category
- Chinese