Dong Shi Xiao Pin

说春秋时候，越国有个名叫西施的姑娘，她非常美丽、漂亮，一举一动也很动人。她有心口疼的疾病，犯病时总是用手按住胸口，紧皱眉头。因为人们喜欢她，所以她这副病态，在人们眼里也妩媚可爱，楚楚动人。 西施的邻村有个丑姑娘叫东施，总是想方设法打扮自己。有一次在路上碰到西施，见西施手捂胸口，紧皱眉头，显得异常美丽。她想难怪人们说她漂亮，原来是做出这种样子。如果我也做这个姿势，肯定就变漂亮了。于是她模仿西施的病态。结果人们见了原来就丑的她，现在变成这种疯疯癫癫的样子，象见了鬼一样，赶紧把门关上。

During the Spring and Autumn period, there was a beautiful girl who lived in the country of Yue. Her name was Xi Shi, one of the 4 beauties in Chinese history. She was so freakin' beautiful that everything she did was perceived to be beautiful. Even when she winces from her chest pain she looked gorgeous...painfully gorgeous. Because everyone in the village loved her so much, whenever she was in pain and grabbed her chest, people thought it was rather adorable. 

A few houses away, there lived her girl named Dong Shi. She was on the entire opposite spectrum as Xi Shi. Dong Shi was not very beautiful to begin with, but was someone who kept trying to improve her outer beauty. One day, Dong Shi saw Xi Shi grab her chest on the street, and assumed that it was something "beautiful" people do. So, Dong Shi began to grab her chest for no reason at all. Instead of people perceiving Dong Shi as beautiful, people only saw her as crazy. Whenever they saw Dong Shi running around the street, they'd run inside their homes and shut the front door.

MORAL OF THE IDIOM: Improper imitation CAN have the reverse effect than what you're trying to achieve