The Impatient Farmer
Story behind the idiom: 拔苗助長 - 'to pull up seedlings to help them grow'
从前有个农民。Once upon a time, there was a farmer.他每天都很着急。He was very anxious every day.他希望田里的秧苗快点长高。He hoped that the seedlings in the field would grow taller quickly.一天，他想到了一个办法。One day, he came up with an idea.他把每棵秧苗都往上拔高一点。He pulled each seedling up a little.第二天，他发现所有的秧苗都枯死了。The next day, he discovered that all the seedlings had withered and died.因为他拔苗助长的行为害了它们。Because his act of pulling up the seedlings to help them grow harmed them.
农民的儿子看到后很难过。The farmer's son felt very sad when he saw this.他告诉父亲植物需要时间才能长大。He told his father that plants need time to grow.农民终于明白。The farmer finally understood.做事不能太着急。One should not be too impatient.要尊重自然的规律。One must respect the laws of nature.从那以后，他耐心地照顾庄稼。From then on, he patiently tended to his crops.秋天果然收获了满满的粮食。In autumn, he indeed harvested a bountiful crop.
“拔苗助长”字面意思是把苗拔高。Literally, '拔苗助长' means pulling the seedlings up.帮助它生长。It means to help them grow.这个成语来自一个古代的故事。This idiom comes from an ancient story.故事讲的是一个农民心急，反而毁了庄稼。The story tells of a farmer whose impatience instead destroyed his crops.现在用来形容急于求成。Nowadays it is used to describe eagerness for quick success.用错误的方法反而把事情弄坏了。Using the wrong methods backfires and spoils things.
老师告诉家长，给孩子报太多补习班是“拔苗助长”。The teacher told the parents that signing their children up for too many tutoring classes is '拔苗助长'.应该让他们快乐学习。They should let them learn happily.
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