Ain’t no such thing as free lunch! This well-known Chinese fable is a sharp warning against laziness and wishful thinking. This story is the source of the chengyu 守株待兔, and it’s often used to criticize people who sit around expecting success to find them, instead of earning it.
守株待兔
从前，有一个农夫，每天都在田里辛苦地工作。
有一天，他正在田里干活，突然看见一只兔子飞快地跑过来。兔子跑得太快了，一头撞在田边的一个树桩上，死了。
农夫非常高兴，他捡起兔子，带回家美美地吃了一顿。他想：”要是每天都能这样捡到兔子，那该多好啊！我就不用这么辛苦地干活了。”
从那以后，农夫再也不干活了。他每天都坐在那个树桩旁边，等着兔子来撞死。
一天又一天过去了，再也没有兔子撞到树桩上。农夫的田里长满了野草，庄稼全都死了。
最后，农夫什么也没有得到，反而成了大家的笑话。
这个故事告诉我们：不要想着不劳而获。只有努力工作，才能有收获。
2 replies on “Story behind the idiom: 守株待兔 – Waiting by the Tree Stump for a Rabbit”
Thanks for posting these stories! I love the way you can get the definition of the Hanzi by putting the cursor over them. It saves having to keep looking up characters I haven’t come across yet.
You’re very welcome, glad it’s useful!