The Farmer and the Rabbit
Story behind the idiom: 守株待兔 - waiting for a rabbit to come to a tree
很久以前，在中国有一个农夫，他每天都努力在田里工作。A long time ago, there was a farmer in China who worked hard in the fields every day.一天，他正在忙着，突然看到一只兔子从远处飞快地跑来，一不小心撞在田边的大树上，当场撞死了。One day, while he was busy working, he suddenly saw a rabbit running quickly from a distance, accidentally hitting a big tree by the field and dying on the spot.
农夫大喜，心想：「太好了！不用辛苦工作，就有兔肉吃了！」The farmer was overjoyed, thinking: 'Great! I don't have to work hard, and I can eat rabbit meat!'那天晚上，他开心地煮了一锅美味的兔子肉，吃得很满足。That evening, he happily cooked a pot of delicious rabbit meat and ate with great satisfaction.
第二天，农夫决定不再耕田，便坐在那棵大树旁，等着看会不会再有兔子撞过来。The next day, the farmer decided not to farm anymore and sat beside that big tree, waiting to see if another rabbit would come crashing into it.他等了一整天，却什么也没等到。He waited the whole day, but he didn't get anything.
从那以后，农夫天天什么也不做，只坐在树旁等兔子。From then on, the farmer did nothing every day, only sitting by the tree waiting for rabbits.当然，再也没有兔子撞到树上。Of course, no more rabbits crashed into the tree.他的田地长满野草，农作物也枯死了。His fields became overgrown with weeds, and the crops withered away.
现在，人们用成语「守株待兔」来比喻一个人很懒惰，只想不劳而获地再走一次运，却不愿付出努力。Now, people use the idiom 'waiting by a stump for a rabbit' to describe someone who is very lazy, only wanting to gain without effort by getting lucky again, yet unwilling to work hard.
例如，有个人叫麦克，有一次买乐透中了奖。For example, there was a person named Maike who once won the lottery.从此他不再认真工作，每天只买彩券，希望能再中一次大奖。From then on, he no longer worked seriously, only buying lottery tickets every day, hoping to win a big prize again.这就是「守株待兔」——靠运气，不肯努力。This is 'waiting by a stump for a rabbit'—relying on luck, unwilling to work hard.
Want to read along with audio? Every story in the Literate Chinese app is narrated by a native speaker — in Mainland or Taiwan Mandarin — so you can listen while you read, and tap any word to save it as a flashcard. See what's in the app.
