有意栽花花不发,无心插柳柳成阴
yǒu yì zāi huā huā bù fā , wú xīn chā liǔ liǔ chéng yīnyouyizaihuahuabufa,wuxinchaliuliuchengyin
- lit. you plant a garden and the flowers do not bloom, you poke a stick in the mud and it grows into a tree
- fig. things do not always turn out as one would expect
- well-laid plans may fail, and success may come where you least expect it