HSK 5 · Story · 360 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/shou-zhu-dai-tu-waiting-for-a-rabbit-by-the-tree-stump

守株待兔

Waiting for a rabbit by the tree stump

Name: ________________ Date: ________

两千多liǎngqiānduō年nián前qián，宋国sòngguó有yǒu个gè农民nóngmín。一天yìtiān，他tā在zài地dì里干活gànhuó，一yì只zhī兔子tùzi突然tūrán从cóng草cǎo里跑pǎo了le出来chūlái。它tā跑pǎo得de太tài快kuài，没méi看kàn路lù，撞zhuàng在zài了le地dì里的de一个yígè老lǎo树桩shùzhuāng上shàng。

它tā的de脖子bózi断duàn了le，一下yíxià就jiù死sǐ了le。

农民nóngmín把bǎ它tā拿ná起来qǐlai，看kàn了le又yòu看kàn，笑xiào了le：“不用búyòng干活gànhuó，就jiù有yǒu肉ròu吃chī？这么zhème好hǎo的de事shì，我wǒ怎么zěnme今天jīntiān才cái知道zhīdào！”

第二天dì’èrtiān，他tā把bǎ锄头chútou放fàng在zài一边yìbiān，搬bān来lái一yì把bǎ椅子yǐzi，坐zuò在zài树桩shùzhuāng旁边pángbiān，等děng。

等děng了le一天yìtiān，什么shénme也yě没有méiyǒu。他tā想xiǎng：没关系méiguānxi，兔子tùzi们men还hái在zài睡觉shuìjiào呢ne。

第三dìsān天tiān，他tā带来dàilái了le一yì口kǒu锅guō，连lián水shuǐ都dōu烧shāo好hǎo了le。第五dìwǔ天tiān，他tā连lián床chuáng都dōu带来dàilái了le。

第十dìshí天tiān，真的zhēnde来lái了le一yì只zhī兔子tùzi！他tā马上mǎshàng从cóng床chuáng上shàng跳tiào了le下来xiàlai。兔子tùzi跑pǎo到dào树桩shùzhuāng前面qiánmiàn，不bù跑pǎo了le。它tā看kàn了le看kàn农民nóngmín，农民nóngmín也yě看kàn了le看kàn它tā。然后ránhòu，它tā慢慢mànmàn地de走开zǒukāi了le。

别的biéde兔子tùzi，都dōu没有méiyǒu第一dìyī只zhī兔子tùzi那么nàme笨bèn。

地dì里的de草cǎo，已经yǐjīng比bǐ人rén还hái高gāo了le。看见kànjiàn的de人rén都dōu笑xiào他tā。不久bùjiǔ，全quán宋国sòngguó都dōu知道zhīdào了le这个zhège等děng兔子tùzi的de农民nóngmín。

“守株待兔shǒuzhū-dàitù”，就是jiùshì守shǒu着zhe树桩shùzhuāng，等děng兔子tùzi。今天jīntiān，中国zhōngguó人rén还hái常cháng说shuō这zhè四sì个gè字zì。要是yàoshì有人yǒurén不想bùxiǎng努力nǔlì，只zhǐ想xiǎng坐zuò着zhe等děng好事hǎoshì从cóng天上tiānshàng掉diào下来xiàlai，朋友péngyǒu就jiù会huì笑xiào他tā：“别bié守株待兔shǒuzhū-dàitù了le！”

那个nàge农民nóngmín最后zuìhòu等děng来lái了le什么shénme？不是búshì兔子tùzi，是shì一yí个gè成语chéngyǔ。他tā被bèi人rén笑xiào了le两千多liǎngqiānduō年nián。

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
干活	gànhuó	to work; to do manual labor
死	sǐ	to die; dead
全	quán	whole; all; entire; complete; completely; entirely
要是	yàoshì	if; in case
掉	diào	to fall; to drop
农民	nóngmín	peasant; farmer
兔子	tùzi	rabbit; hare
撞	zhuàng	to hit; to collide with; to bump into
断	duàn	to break; to snap
锅	guō	pot; pan; wok
烧	shāo	to cook; to roast; to stew (as in 烧鹅, 红烧)
天上	tiānshàng	in the sky; in heaven

English (for the teacher)

More than two thousand years ago, there was a farmer in the state of Song. One day, while he was working in his field, a rabbit suddenly shot out of the grass. It was running too fast and not looking where it was going, and it crashed into an old tree stump in the field.

It broke its neck and died on the spot.

The farmer picked up the rabbit, looked it over and over, and laughed: “Meat to eat, and no work to do? Something this good, and I’m only finding out today!”

The next day, he put his hoe to one side, brought over a chair, sat down next to the stump, and waited.

He waited a whole day, and nothing came. He thought: never mind, the rabbits are still asleep.

On the third day, he brought a pot, and even had the water boiling. On the fifth day, he even brought his bed.

On the tenth day, a rabbit really did come! He jumped off the bed at once. The rabbit ran up to the stump and stopped. It looked at the farmer, and the farmer looked at it. Then it slowly walked away.

None of the other rabbits were as stupid as the first one.

By now the grass in his field was taller than a man. Everyone who saw him laughed at him. Before long, the whole state of Song had heard about the farmer who was waiting for rabbits.

“Shǒu zhū dài tù” simply means keeping watch by a tree stump and waiting for a rabbit. Today, Chinese people still use these four characters a lot. If someone doesn’t want to work hard and just wants to sit and wait for good luck to fall from the sky, their friends will tease them: “Stop waiting by the stump for a rabbit!”

So what did the farmer get in the end, after all that waiting? Not a rabbit, but an idiom. People have been laughing at him for more than two thousand years.