弄巧成拙 (nòng qiǎo chéng zhuō): To outsmart oneself (idiom) — Meaning & Stroke Order

1.

Animated Stroke Order

2.

Free Printable Worksheet: 弄巧成拙

Download Worksheet

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Level 6

HSK 3.0

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Level 6 Level 7-9

Create practice sheets for free

Worksheet LibraryHSK, Top 100 & themed PDFs

Writing PracticePractice HSK and saved words

Dictation PracticeListen and write HSK characters

Flashcard ReviewSRS review for HSK and custom decks

HSK Level CheckerCheck HSK level of any text

Pinyin ConverterConvert Chinese to Pinyin

My Learning

Learning DashboardTrack your writing progress

My VocabularyReview saved words and lists

Fun & Culture

Name GeneratorCreate your Chinese name

View All Tools

8 Basic Strokes GuideHot

Foundation of all characters

Pinyin Tones Guide

4 tones with audio examples

Chinese Handwriting Guide

Daily practice routine

HSK 3.0 Complete GuideNew

New exam format explained

HSK 1 Common Mistakes

Avoid beginner errors

Topics & Culture

Chinese Numbers 1-1000

2026 Fire Horse YearHot

Zodiac meaning & luck

Top 100 Characters

Most frequent, free PDF

View All Blog Posts

3.

Character Breakdown

HSK 4

nòng弄

play with; fix; manage

HSK 3.0 · L4

qiǎo巧

skillful, ingenious, clever

HSK 3.0 · L6

chéng成

one tenth; proportion

zhuō拙

clumsy, awkward, unskillful

4.

Example Sentences with 弄巧成拙

tā他

xiǎng想

yòng用

fù复

zá杂

de的

fāng方

fǎ法

jiě解

jué决

wèn问

tí题

，

jié结

guǒ果

nòng弄

qiǎo巧

chéng成

zhuō拙

，

wèn问

tí题

gèng更

yán严

zhòng重

le了

。

He tried to solve the problem with a complex method, but it backfired and made the problem worse.

tā她

běn本

xiǎng想

gěi给

lǎo老

shī师

yí一

gè个

jīng惊

xǐ

tā他

shì试

tú图

yòng用

qiǎo巧

miào妙

de的

fāng方

fǎ法

zuò

Zodiac CalculatorFind your zodiac animal

4.

Example Sentences with 弄巧成拙

tā他

xiǎng想

yòng用

fù复

zá杂

de的

fāng方

fǎ法

jiě解

jué决

wèn问

tí题

，

jié结

guǒ果

nòng弄

qiǎo巧

chéng成

zhuō拙

，

wèn问

tí题

gèng更

yán严

zhòng重

le了

。

He tried to solve the problem with a complex method, but it backfired and made the problem worse.

tā她

běn本

xiǎng想

gěi给

lǎo老

shī师

yí一

gè个

jīng惊

xǐ

tā他

shì试

tú图

yòng用

qiǎo巧

miào妙

de的

fāng方

fǎ法

zuò

乖巧

guāi qiǎo

Obedient

凑巧còu qiǎoFortuitous

巧合qiǎo héCoincidence / Accidental

灵巧líng qiǎoclever / nimble

成为

chéng wéi

become

成功chéng gōngsuccess; successful

当成dàng chéngto consider as; to take to be

形成xíng chéngform; shape

喜

，

què却

nòng弄

qiǎo巧

chéng成

zhuō拙

，

bǎ把

shì事

qíng情

gǎo搞

zá砸

le了

。

She wanted to surprise the teacher, but her clever plan backfired and ruined everything.

作

bì弊

，

jié结

guǒ果

nòng弄

qiǎo巧

chéng成

zhuō拙

，

bèi被

lǎo老

shī师

fā发

xiàn现

le了

。

He tried to cheat using a clever method, but it backfired and the teacher caught him.

Animated Stroke Order

Free Printable Worksheet: 弄巧成拙

Character Breakdown

Example Sentences with 弄巧成拙

Words Sharing Characters

Example Sentences with 弄巧成拙