東施效顰——東施也犯心絞痛

In the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), there was a beauty in the State of Yue called Xishi (西施). She often suffered from pains in her chest, and so she would often walk around doubled over and with her brows knitted. There was an ugly girl in the village called Dongshi who envied Xishi. Striving to emulate Xishi, she imitated her stoop, knitting her brows at the same time. She thought that this made her elegant, but in fact, it only made her more ugly.

Later, this idiom came to be used to indicate improper imitation that produces the reverse effect.

西施是中國歷史上的“四大美女”之一，是春秋時期越國人，有心痛的毛病。犯病時手扶住胸口，皺著眉頭，比平時更美麗。 同村女孩東施學著西施的樣子扶住胸口，皺著眉頭，因其本來就長得丑，再加上刻意地模仿西施的動作，裝腔作勢的怪樣子，讓人更加厭惡。

東施效顰：比喻模仿別人，不但模仿不好，反而出丑。