揠苗助长 yà miáo zhù zhǎng pull up seedlings to help them grow

Explanation

比喻违反事物发展的客观规律,急于求成,反而把事情弄糟。

To describe an action that goes against the natural laws of development. To hasten the achievement but causes things to get worse instead.

Origin Story

从前,宋国有个农夫,他担心自己田里的禾苗长得太慢,于是每天都跑到田里去看。过了几天,他发现禾苗长得还是不高,就着急了。他想了个办法,就跑到田里,把禾苗一棵棵地拔高了一些。他回到家后,高兴地对儿子说:‘今天我累坏了,我把禾苗都拔高了一大截!’儿子跑到田里一看,禾苗都枯萎了。这个故事告诉我们,要尊重客观规律,不能违背事物发展的自然规律。

cóng qián, sòng guó yǒu ge nóng fū, tā dānxīn zìjǐ tián lǐ de hé miáo zhǎng de tài màn, yúshì měitiān dōu pǎo dào tián lǐ qù kàn. guò le jǐ tiān, tā fāxiàn hé miáo zhǎng de háishi bù gāo, jiù zhāojí le. tā xiǎng le ge bànfǎ, jiù pǎo dào tián lǐ, bǎ hé miáo yī kē kē de bá gāo le yīxiē. tā huí dào jiā hòu, gāoxìng de duì érzi shuō: ‘jīntiān wǒ lèi huài le, wǒ bǎ hé miáo dōu bá gāo le yī dà jié!’ érzi pǎo dào tián lǐ yī kàn, hé miáo dōu kū wěi le. zhège gùshì gàosù wǒmen, yào zūnzhòng kèguān guīlǜ, bùnéng wéibèi shìwù fāzhǎn de zìrán guīlǜ.

Once upon a time, there was a farmer in ancient China who was worried that his rice seedlings were growing too slowly. Every day he would go to the field to observe them. After a few days, he noticed that they were still not growing taller and he became anxious. He came up with a plan and went to the field, pulling each seedling slightly higher. When he returned home, he proudly told his son, 'I worked hard today, and I pulled all the rice seedlings up a bit taller!' The son rushed to the field and found that all the seedlings had withered. This story tells us to respect objective laws and not to interfere with the natural laws of things.

Usage

多用于比喻句中,比喻违反客观规律,急于求成,反而把事情弄糟。

duō yòng yú bǐyù jù zhōng, bǐyù wéifǎn kèguān guīlǜ, jíyú qiú chéng, fǎn'ér bǎ shìqíng nòng zāo.

It's often used in metaphors to illustrate violating objective laws and trying to achieve success too quickly, which leads to the opposite outcome.

Examples

  • 不要揠苗助长,要遵循事物发展的规律。

    buya yà miáo zhù zhǎng, yào zūnxún shìwù fāzhǎn de guīlǜ. xuéxí yào xúnxù jìn jìn, bùnéng yà miáo zhù zhǎng

    Don't try to force things; follow the natural course of events.

  • 学习要循序渐进,不能揠苗助长。

    Learning should be gradual, not forced.