Learn Mandarin Chinese Idiom: 守株待兔 (Shǒuzhūdàitù) To Stand by a Tree Stump Waiting for a Hare (Intermediate)
Key Learning Point (Preview):
待 (dài): v. to wait/to wait for
Cóngqián, yǒu yí gè nóngfū.
从前,有一个农夫。
Once upon a time, there was a farmer.
Yì tiān, zài tā gēngtián de shíhou, hūrán pǎo guò lái yì zhī yětù,
一 天,在他耕田的时候,忽然跑过一只 野兔,
qiàhǎo pèng zài yí gè shùzhuāng shàng, bózi zhé duàn sǐ le.
恰好碰在一 个树桩上,脖子折断死了。
One day, while he was working in the fields, he saw a hare run into a tree stump accidentally and die of a broken neck.
Nóngfū bǎ tùzi shí huí jiā qù, měiměide chī le yí dùn tùròu.
农夫把兔子拾回家去,美美地吃 了一 顿兔肉。
The farmer took the hare home and cooked a delicious meal for himself.
Dāng wǎn, tā jiù xiǎng: “wǒ hébì xīnxīnkǔkǔ de zhòngdì ne?
当晚,他就想:我何必辛辛苦苦的种地呢?
Měi tiān zài shùzhuāng páng děngzhe jiǎn zhuàng sǐ de yětù jiù hǎo le.”
每天在树桩旁等着捡撞死的野兔就好了。
That night he thought: “I needn’t work so hard. All I have to do is wait every day by the stump to pick up the hare that runs into it.”
Yúshì tā cóngcǐ bú zài gēngzhòng, měi tiān zài shùzhuāng páng děngdài yětù de dàolái.
于是, 他从此不再耕种,每天在树桩旁等待野兔的到来。
So from then on he gave up farming, and stood by the tree stump waiting for the hare to come and run into it.
Dànshì, cóng nà yǐhòu, tā zài méiyǒu fāxiàn yì zhī yětù zhuàng zài shùzhuāng shàng.
但是,从那以后,他再没有发现 一 只野兔撞在树桩上。
But from then on, he never saw another hare run into the tree stump.
The moral: We shouldn’t just wait for a stroke of luck. If we want to do something, we should work hard at it, just like the saying goes, ” No pain, no gain.”
Key Learning Point:
待(dài): v. to wait/to wait for
We often use “等待(děngdài)” instead of “待(dài)” to express the meaning of “to wait/to wait for.” In spoken Chinese, we often say “等(děng),” which is short for “等待(děngdài).” “等待(děngdài)” is more formal than “等(děng).”
Example:
Nǐ hǎohao xuéxí hànyǔ, wǒ děngdài nǐ tōngguò hànyǔ shuǐpíng kǎoshì de hǎo xiāoxi.
你好好学习汉语,我等待你,通过汉语水平考试的好消息。
Study Chinese diligently. I am waiting for the good news of you passing HSK test.
Learn Mandarin Chinese
Duìbùqǐ, ràng nǐ děng le wǒ zhème cháng shíjiān.
对不起, 让你等了我这么长时间。
I am sorry to have kept you waiting so long.
Méi guānxi.
没关系。
Never mind.
Most Popular Chinese Idiom Stories You Don’t Want To Miss:
Learn Chinese Idiom: 对牛弹琴 To Play the Harp to A Cow
Chinese Idiom: 调虎离山(Diàohŭlíshān) To lure the tiger out of the mountains
General Chinese (Beginner Level)
General Chinese (Intermediate Level)
Attractive portion of content. I simply stumbled upon your weblog and in accession capital to assert that I acquire actually enjoyed account your blog posts. Any way I’ll be subscribing in your augment and even I achievement you get admission to persistently quickly.
Very interesting information!Perfect just what I was looking for!
I absolutely love your blog and find the majority of your post’s to be precisely what I’m looking for. Does one offer guest writers to write content to suit your needs? I wouldn’t mind publishing a post or elaborating on many of the subjects you write regarding here. Again, awesome weblog!
It is clear and easy to understand
It ts easy and clear.
i wish you have a section on this site that contains these types of teachings.
谢谢你老是给我这个学识
不客气,很高兴能帮助你学习中文!
I raelly couldn’t ask for more from this article.
There is perceptibly a lot to know about this. I think you made some nice points in features also.
You completed a few fine points there. I did a search on the subject and found nearly all people will agree with your blog.
Definitely, what a great blog and illuminating posts, I definitely will bookmark your site. All the Best!
This is a noticeably very nice page
You can say “等待我的爱情 (děnɡdài wǒ de àiqínɡ)” for “waiting for my love.”
would love to learn more Mandarin Chinese idioms.
I want to learn Mandarin Chinese phrase for “waiting for my love.” Who can help me? Thanks!