Chinese idiom · 成语
依葫芦画瓢
Meaning
To draw a gourd from a model; to copy mechanically.
Character by character
Origin and story
ProverbThe image is of drawing a gourd-shaped ladle by following an actual gourd as a model. It belongs to a family of sayings about copying established patterns. A related Song expression, 依样画葫芦, appears in Wei Tai's Dongxuan Bilu, where the drafting of imperial documents is criticized as taking old texts and merely changing their wording.
The exact wording 依葫芦画瓢 is documented in later usage, including a 1977 Shikan passage cited by HànDiǎn. That is an attestation, not a proven date of invention. The saying can describe learning by imitation, but usually warns that copying without understanding produces something mechanical.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
做报告不能只依葫芦画瓢，还得解释这些数据和我们的项目有什么关系。
A report cannot just copy a model; it also needs to explain how the data relate to our project.
Usually critical of mechanical imitation; 葫芦 normally has a neutral second syllable.