有意栽花花不发，无心插柳柳成荫
yǒu​yì​zāi​huā​huā​bù​fā​wú​xīn​chā​liǔ​liǔ​chéng​yīn

plans often fail but luck can bring success

  1. 有意栽花花不发 有意栽花花不發 yǒu​yì​zāi​huā​huā​bù​fā
    effort without reward
    to plant flowers with intent but the flowers do not bloom; describes a situation where careful effort and planning fail to produce the desired outcome
  2. ， wú
    non-Chinese
  3. 无心插柳 無心插柳 wú​xīn​chā​liǔ
    unanticipated
    (idiom) describes a good outcome that was unanticipated, serendipitous, or fortuitous
  4. 柳 liǔ noun
    willow
    (bound form) willow tree; any of various trees of the genus Salix
  5. 成 chéng verbparticle
    to become
    to become; to turn into; to change into
  6. 荫 蔭 yìn adjective
    shade
    the shade of a tree or building; the shadows cast by foliage