Proverb / Kotowaza
鵜の真似をする烏
Attempting to imitate someone more capable without considering your own limits leads to failure.
A crow that mimics a cormorant
Quick Answer
Attempting to imitate someone more capable without considering your own limits leads to failure.
- Literal Image
- A crow that mimics a cormorant
- How to Use It
- Used to warn someone against following another person's methods blindly or to criticize those who fail by attempting something beyond their actual skill level.
Meaning
This proverb depicts a crow that tries to dive for fish like a cormorant but ends up drowning because it lacks the necessary physical traits. It serves as a warning that blindly copying the actions of a talented or successful person without having the same level of ability will result in disaster. True success requires understanding your own capacity rather than superficial mimicry.
Literal Image
A crow that mimics a cormorant
How to Use It
Used to warn someone against following another person's methods blindly or to criticize those who fail by attempting something beyond their actual skill level.
Tone
Cautionary and critical of foolish mimicry.
Examples
鵜の真似をする烏にならないよう、自分の実力をわきまえて行動しよう。
Act while knowing your own abilities so as not to become like a crow mimicking a cormorant.
成功者の真似をしても、鵜の真似をする烏では意味がない。
Even if you imitate successful people, it is meaningless if you are just a crow mimicking a cormorant.
鵜の真似をする烏と笑われないよう、まずは基礎を固めることが大切だ。
It is important to first solidify your foundations so that you aren't laughed at for being a crow mimicking a cormorant.
Learning Notes
Key Vocabulary
Contains specific bird-related kanji (鵜, 烏) and an idiomatic structure that requires understanding the metaphor of the cormorant's dive.
鵜
う / u
cormorant
真似
まね / mane
imitation; mimicry
烏
からす / karasu
crow
実力
じつりょく / jitsuryoku
true ability; capacity
Usage Profile
Usage note: Using this about someone's genuine attempt to learn can be very insulting as it implies they lack any talent.
Misread Risk
This is not used for positive role models or healthy learning; it specifically refers to failing due to a lack of matching ability.
Search As
Related Proverbs
Index
Topics, Situations, and Tags
Topics
Situations
Tags
Source Note
Where did this entry get its data from? The reference links are listed below. To understand how to read this section, see Data Sources.