Learn Mandarin Chinese Idiom: 守株待兔 (Shǒuzhūdàitù) To Stand by a Tree Stump Waiting for a Hare (Intermediate)
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Key Learning Point (Preview):
待 (dài): v. to wait/to wait for
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Cóngqián, yǒu yí gè nóngfū.
从前， 有 一 个 农夫。
Once upon a time, there was a farmer.
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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 来 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.
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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.
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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."
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Yúshì tā cóngcǐ bú zài gēnzhòng, 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.
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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.
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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
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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。
Learn Mandarin Chinese with all your heart. I am waiting for the good news of you passing HSK test.
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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.
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Méi guānxi.
没 关系。
Never mind.
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