无心插柳柳成阴

無心插柳柳成陰
wúxīnchāliǔliǔchéngyīn
  1. lit. idly poke a stick in the mud and it grows into a tree to shade you
  2. (fig.) unintentional actions may bring unexpected success
  3. also written 无心插柳柳成荫

CEDICT

（谚语）无意间的举动，竟产生意想不到的结果。

重編國語辭典

无意间的举动，竟产生意想不到的结果

維基詞典

Entry Composition

1 无心插柳 wúxīnchāliǔ
  1. (idiom) (of a good outcome) unanticipated
  2. serendipitous
  3. fortuitous
=2 柳 liǔ willow
=2 柳 liǔ old variant of 柳 liǔ
=2 柳 liǔ old variant of 柳 liǔ
3 成 chéng
  1. to succeed
  2. to finish
  3. to complete
  4. to accomplish
  5. to become
  6. to turn into
  7. to be all right
  8. OK!
  9. one tenth
=4 阴 yīn
  1. overcast (weather)
  2. cloudy
  3. shady
  4. Yin (the negative principle of Yin and Yang)
  5. negative (electric.)
  6. feminine
  7. moon
  8. implicit
  9. hidden
  10. genitalia
=4 阴 yīn variant of 阴 yīn

Containing this entry

有意栽花花不发，无心插柳柳成阴 yǒuyìzāihuāhuābùfā,wúxīnchāliǔliǔchéngyīn
  1. lit. you plant a garden and the flowers do not bloom, you poke a stick in the mud and it grows into a tree
  2. fig. things do not always turn out as one would expect
  3. well-laid plans may fail, and success may come where you least expect it