拔苗助长
- Literal
- to pull up the sprouts to help them grow
- Figurative
- To ruin something by forcing its progress; to do harm by pushing for results faster than is natural.
Where does 拔苗助长 come from?
A man of the state of Song grew impatient that his millet sprouts were growing too slowly. To hurry them along, he went to his field and pulled each plant upward, one by one. He came home exhausted and proudly told his family he had helped the sprouts grow. His son ran to the field, but every plant had withered. Mencius cites the tale to warn against forcing what must ripen in its own time.
Source (出处): 《孟子·公孙丑上》
How is 拔苗助长 used? Two examples
- 孩子还小，逼他每天背三百个单词只会拔苗助长。
The child is still young; forcing him to memorize three hundred words a day will only do more harm than good.
- 学习要循序渐进，急于求成往往是拔苗助长。
Learning should proceed step by step; rushing for results often ruins the very thing you meant to nurture.
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