画虎不成反类犬

画虎不成反类犬

Literally means:

set out to draw a tiger and end up with the likeness of a dog

Actually means:

aim high but achieve little

类, to resemble. 犬, a dog.

The tiger is so poorly drawn that it resembles a dog. It literally means that poor imitation leads to a ridiculous nondescript. It figuratively means that one starts with the intent of fulfilling the task but ends up with a poor and ridiculous result. Derogatory.

类，像、相似。犬，狗。

老虎画得不好，反而画得像狗。本指模仿不到家，反而搞得不伦不类，闹出笑话。比喻想把事情办好，结果反倒弄糟了，惹人笑话。具有贬义色彩。