Chinese language vocabulary 汉语词汇 邯郸学步 (Hándānxuébù )

Gōngyuán qián 475 nián －gōngyuán 221 nián de Zhànguó shíqī, Yànguó yǒu gè qīngnián, tā tīngshuō Zhàoguó dūchéng Hándān de rén zǒulù zīshì tèbié hǎokàn, yúshì zhè wèi niánqīngrén juédìng mán zhe jiārén qù xuéxí Hándānrén zǒulù de zīshì. Jiù zhèyàng, tā lái dào le Hándān. Yíngmiàn zǒu lái yī gè hé tā niánlíng xiàngfǎng de rén, kànjiàn nà rén zǒu guò, zhè wèi Yànguó de qīngnián biàn gēn zài tā hòumiàn kāishǐ mófǎng. Nà rén mài zuǒjiǎo, Yànguó qīngnián yě mài zuǒjiǎo, nà rén mài yòujiǎo, Yànguó qīngnián yě mài yòujiǎo. Rán’ér, tā yì niǔtóu yòu kàn dào lìng yí gè zhōngniánrén, tā yòu jiào dé nà rén zǒu lù de zī shì hěn hǎokàn, yúshì yòu gēn zhe zhōngnián rén xué zǒulù. hòulái tā yòu kàn dào yí wèi fùnǚ, yòu gēn zhe xué ……. Zhuǎnyǎn hǎo jǐ gè yuè guòqù le, Yànguó qīngnián yuè xué zǒulù de zīshì yuè bù hǎokàn, bùjǐn méi xué huì Hándān rén de zǒufǎ, érqiě hái bǎ zìjǐ yuánlái de zǒulù zīshì yě wàng le. Zhè shí, dài lái de qián yě yǐjīng huā guāng, tā zhī hǎo huíjiā, kěshì tā yòu wàng le zìjǐ yuánlái shì zěnyàng zǒulù de. Wúnài, Yànguó qīngnián zhīhǎo zài dìshàng pá zhe huíqù le.
公元前475年－公元221年的战国时期，燕国有个青年，他听说赵国都城邯郸的人走路姿势特别好看，于是这位年轻人决定瞒着家人去学习邯郸人走路的姿势。 就这样，他来到了邯郸。迎面走来一个和他年龄相仿的人，看见那人走过，这位燕国的青年便跟在他后面开始模仿。那人迈左脚，燕国青年也迈左脚，那人迈右脚， 燕国青年也迈右脚。然而，他一扭头又看到另一个中年人，他又觉得那人走路的姿势很好看，于是又跟着中年人学走路。后来他又看到一位妇女，又跟着学……。转 眼好几个月过去了，燕国青年越学走路的姿势越不好看，不仅没学会邯郸人的走法，而且还把自己原来的走路姿势也忘了。这时，带来的钱也已经花光，他只好回 家，可是他又忘了自己原来是怎样走路的。无奈，燕国青年只好在地上爬着回去了。

During the Warring States Period (475 - 221 BC), a young man from the State of Yan heard that in Handan, the capital of the State of Zhao, people's walking posture was graceful and elegant. The young man wanted to make his walking posture look better, so he decided to learn from the Handanners without telling his family. Then, he traveled a long way to Handan, wher first he saw a young man walking towards him. After allowing him pass, the young man from Yan soon followed behind him, imitating his strides. When the young man of Handan took a step with his left foot, he took a step with his left foot. He then saw a middle-aged man and thought his posture attractive, too, so he followed and imitated him as well. After that, he imitated a woman's walking style.
But however he tried, he just couldn't walk the way the Handanners did. After a few months of learning, the young man had spent all the money he had brought. To make things worse, when he decided to give up and went home, he found he had forgotten his own way of walking. In the end, the young man had no choice but to crawl all the way back home.

Words：
邯郸hándān： a name of place in China (n. )
姿势zīshì： style; posture (n.)
模仿mófǎng： imitate; copy (v. )
无奈wúnài： have no choice; cannot help but (adj.)

Meanings：

邯郸学步： 本义是指在邯郸学习步法。比喻学习、模仿不成，反而失去了自己原有的长处、技能。

Its original meaning is to try to learn the Handan people's walking posture.People use this idiom to describe someone who imitates others blindly only to lose ones' own individuality, advantages and skills.

Sentences：

1.Xuéxí zhīshí yào tàtà-shíshí, bùnéng Hándān-xuébù, shēngbān-yìngtào.
学习知识要踏踏实实，不能邯郸学步，生搬硬套。

We should be conscientious and persevering in learning things and should not like 邯郸学步.

2.Wǒ men zuòshì dé yǒu zìjǐ de fāngfǎ, bù néng Hándān-xuébù.
我们做事得有自己的方法，不能邯郸学步。

We should have our only methods when doing things, and shouldn't be 邯郸学步.