Chinese language vocabulary 汉语词汇 拔苗助长 Bámiáo-zhùzhǎng

拔苗助长 Bámiáo-zhùzhǎng

宋朝有个农夫，他种了一片庄稼，希望禾苗快点儿长大，庄稼早点儿成熟，就常常去农田里看。可是一 天天过去了，禾苗好像一点都没长高。这个农夫着急了，于是他跑到农田里，亲手把禾苗一棵棵拔高了。然后，他疲惫不堪地回到家里，对家人说：“今天累坏我 了，总算帮助禾苗长高啦！”他的儿子一听，赶紧跑到农田里去看，结果发现禾苗全都死了。

In the Song Dynasty there was a peasant who planted a field of crops. He hoped that the rice shoots would grow a little faster, that the crops would ripen a little sooner, and so he would often go down to the field to take a look. However, day after day, it seemed that the rice shoots hadn't grown at all. This peasant got impatient and ran to the field, using his own hands to pull at each and every shoot. After a while, he became tired and returned home, saying to his family: "Today I've exhausted myself, but at least I've helped the rice shoots to grow!" On hearing this, his son immediately ran to the rice field. However, he discovered that all the rice shoots had died.

Words：
庄稼(zhuāngjia): crops(n. )
农田(nóngtián): farmland(n.)
禾苗(hémiáo): rice shoot(n. )
成熟(chéngshú): ripe, mature (adj. )
拔(bá): pull up(v.)
疲惫不堪(píbèi bù kān): exhausted(adj.)
赶紧(gǎnjǐn): hurry(adv.)

Meanings:

“苗”指“禾苗”，“助”是“帮助”的意思，“拔苗助长”即拔高禾苗帮助它长高。比喻违反事物发展的客观规律，急于求成，反而坏事。

" 苗(miáo)" is from the compound "禾苗(hémiáo)", meaning rice shoots. "助(zhù)" is from the compound"帮助(bāngzhù)", meaning to help. Pulling up the seedlings to help them grow is a metaphor for those who go against the natural, objective course of things and are hasty to get success, but only to fail at last.

Sentences：

Háizǐ hái zhème xiǎo, zhèngshì wán de shíhòu, ràng tā cānjiā zhème duō fǔdǎo bān, bú shì bámiáo-zhùzhǎng ma?
孩子还这么小，正是玩的时候，让他参加这么多辅导班，不是拔苗助长吗？

The child is so small, and it is the time for him to play. Wouldn't making him attend extra classes just be 拔苗助长?

 

Nǐ zhèyàng suíyì yáncháng yùndòng yuán de xùnliàn shíjiān, shì yìzhǒng bámiáo-zhùzhǎng de xíngwéi.
你这样随意延长运动员的训练时间，是一种拔苗助长的行为。

Cavalierly extending the training time of athletes is akin to 拔苗助长.