照猫画虎 (zhào māo huà hǔ) | Meaning: lit. drawing a tiger using a cat as a model (idiom); fig. to follow a model and get things more or less right but without capturing the spirit of the subject | Chinese Idiom with Pinyin & Origin

lit. to draw a dipper with a gourd as a model (idiom) · fig. to copy slavishly照葫芦画瓢zhào hú lu huà piáo

a wooden word-by-word reading照本宣科zhào běn xuān kē

to imitate · to copy · to emulate · to mimic · model模仿mó fǎng

lit. to draw a gourd from the model (idiom) · fig. to copy sth mechanically without attempt at originality依样画葫芦yī yàng huà hú lu

lit. Dong Shi imitates Xi Shi's frown (idiom) · fig. to mimick sb's idiosyncrasies but make a fool of oneself东施效颦Dōng Shī xiào pín

lit. drawing a tiger using a cat as a model (idiom); fig. to follow a model and get things more or less right but without capturing the spirit of the subject · uninspired imitation