story foolishness effort failure

"揠苗助长" (yà miáo zhù zhǎng) - Pulling Up Seedlings to Help Them Grow

揠苗助长

To pull up seedlings to help them grow; to spoil things by excessive enthusiasm.

Story

The idiom "揠苗助长" (yà miáo zhù zhǎng) comes from the Mengzi (Mencius 孟子), specifically "Gongsun Chou I" (公孙丑上).

The story goes: There was a man in the state of Song who was worried that his seedlings were not growing quickly enough. To help them grow faster, he went to the field every day and pulled each seedling up a little bit. After a day of hard work, he returned home, exhausted, and told his family, "Today I am very tired, but I helped the seedlings grow taller!" His son, hearing this, hurried to the field and found that all the seedlings had withered and died.

This story illustrates the foolishness of trying to force things to happen against their natural course.

Meaning and Usage

"揠苗助长" literally translates to "pulling up seedlings to help them grow." It is used to describe actions that are taken with good intentions but ultimately have negative consequences because they violate natural laws or the proper order of things. It emphasizes the importance of patience and allowing things to develop at their own pace.

  • Example (In education): “教育孩子要遵循循序渐进的原则，不能揠苗助长，否则会适得其反。” (“Jiàoyù háizi yào zūnxún xúnxù jiànjìn de yuánzé, bù néng yà miáo zhù zhǎng, fǒuzé huì shìdéqífǎn.”) – “Educating children should follow the principle of gradual progress. We cannot ‘pull up seedlings to help them grow,’ otherwise, it will be counterproductive.”

  • Example (In personal development): “学习任何技能都需要时间和积累，急于求成只会揠苗助长。” (“Xuéxí rènhé jìnéng dōu xūyào shíjiān hé jīlěi, jíyú qiúchéng zhǐ huì yà miáo zhù zhǎng.”) – “Learning any skill requires time and accumulation. Being eager for quick success will only ‘pull up seedlings to help them grow.’”

Cultural Significance of Chéngyǔ (成语)

"揠苗助长" highlights the importance of:

  • Patience and Gradual Progress: It emphasizes the need to allow things to develop naturally and not rush the process.
  • Respecting Natural Laws: It underscores the importance of understanding and respecting the inherent order and pace of things.
  • 欲速则不达 (yù sù zé bù dá): Haste makes waste.
  • 适得其反 (shì dé qí fǎn): To achieve the opposite of what one intended.