Chinese Idiom：鲁侯养鸟（lǔ hóu yǎng niǎo）

A seabird was once seen perching on the city gate of the capital of Lu. Nobody had seen such a bird before, so they called it the "holy bird." The King of Lu ordered his men to capture the seabird alive. They kept it in a golden cage and brought it to the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
The King treated the seabird as though it were his guest of honour. Each day there would be banquets wher dainties and delicacies of every kind would be offered to the seabird. Even the King's musicians had to perform for the seabird's sole amusement.

But the seabird was terrified by all this grandness. It became so frightened and sad that it dared not eat or drink. After three days, it died. The King thought that he had been a good host to his guest. Why not? He was treating the seabird the same way he treated himself.

 

从前有只海鸟，在鲁国城门上栖息。 因为从来没有人见过这种鸟，所以人们都叫牠做“神鸟”。

鲁侯命侍从活捉海鸟。 侍从将海鸟关在金笼内，并放在太庙里供养。 鲁侯视海鸟如国宾。 每天都有各式各样的珍馐百味供海品尝，就鲁侯的乐师，也要为海鸟演奏。

可是，海鸟却被这些豪华排场所吓倒，心里既惊慌又悲痛，不敢饮食，过了三天，终于死去。鲁侯以为他款待海鸟，已十分周到。 可不是吗？他是用养自己的方法去养海鸟的。

鲁侯养鸟 (lǔ hóu yǎng niǎo)
【翻译】The King's Seabird.
【释义】好的愿望必须符合事实，如果只有主观愿望而违背客观实际，好事便会变成坏事。
【例句】他整天逼着孩子学这样学那样，却从不问问孩子喜不喜欢，简直是鲁侯养鸟。
【近义词】事与愿违
【反义词】顺其自然