今天的中文成语 - 守株待兔

今天的中文成语 - 守株待兔

守株待兔 - shou3zhūdàitù

株 - zhū - a stump of a tree
待 - dài - to wait

Literal Meaning - To stand by a stump waiting for a rabbit. Han Fei of the warring states period (475 B.C. - 221 B.C.) told a fable in Han Fei Zi: There was a peasant in the state of Song, in whose feilds stood a tree stump. One day when he was tilling the land, a rabiit dashed itself against the stump, and broke its neck. He was delighted to have the dead rabbit. From then on, he stopped ploughing the fields and just stood by the stump, waiting for another rabbit to come along.

Metaphorical Meaning - T osit idle and enjoy the fruits of others' work.

Contemporary Meaning - To stick to old experience without considering the circumstances; to trust to chance and windfalls; to reap where one has not sown.

Example sentences:

我们尊重经验, 但又不能守株待兔。
Wo3men zūnzhòng jīngyàn, dàn yòu bùnéng shou3zhūdàitù。

有耕种才有收获, 那种守株待兔的思想是要不得的。
You3 gēngzhòng cáiyou3 shōuhuò, nà zhong3 shou3zhūdàitù de sīxiang3 shì yàobudé de。

现在我们来个守株待兔, 让敌人自投罗网。
Xiànzài wo3men lái ge shou3zhūdàitù, ràng dírén zìtóuluówang3。