Meaning of the Idiom
ya miao zhu zhang
Pulling up seedlings to help them grow do harm to a thing by being over-enthusiastic about it.
To Pull up the Seedlings to Help Them Grow
Once upon a time, an old farmer planted a plot of rice. Everyday he went to the field to watch the seedlings grow.
He saw the young shoots break through the soil and grow taller each day. But still, he thought they were growing too slowly. He got impatient with the young plants. “How could the plants grow faster?” He tossed in bed during the night and could not sleep. Suddenly he hit upon an idea. He had an idea not wait for daybreak. He jumped out of the bed and dashed to the field. By the moonlight, he began working on the rice seedlings. One by one, he pulled up the young plants by half an inch. When he finished pulling, it was already morning. Straightening his back, he said to himself, “What a wonderful idea! Look, how much taller the plants have grown one night!”
With great satisfaction, he went back home. He told his son what he had done in a triumphant tone. His son was shocked. Now the sun had risen. The young man was heart-broken to see all the pulled-up young plants dying.
People now use ” Ya Miao Zhu Zhang” to describe the behavior of those who are too eager to get something done only to make it worse. The idiom is a bit like the English proverb “Haste makes waste” ——to spoil things by excessive enthusiasm.
揠苗助长
yà miáo zhù zhǎng， 揠，意思是拔。揠苗助长，也可以说拔苗助长，意思是把禾苗拔起来，帮助其更快的成长。比喻违反事物的发展规律，急于求成，最后事与愿违。
出自《孟子·公孙丑上》。
例句
揠苗助长式的教育，是对学生个性的一种摧残。
采取揠苗助长的做法对这件事没多大帮助。
练习棋艺总须循序渐进，这种短期魔鬼式的训练，只能是揠苗助长。
Reading The Paragraphs!
Meaning of Words
| 词语 | 华文解释 | 英文解释 |
|---|---|---|
| 忧心忡忡（chōng chōng） | 忡忡：忧虑不安的样子。形容心事重重，非常忧愁。 例句：自从他拿到考试结果，就每天忧心忡忡，不敢告诉父亲。 | worried |
| 苦心思索 | 意思是费尽精神苦苦思考，试图得到答案。 例句：福尔摩斯仔细检查了案件的所有线索，苦心思索了一夜，终于找到了凶手。 | puzzle out |
| 灵机一动 | 意思是急忙中转了一下念头（多指临时想出了一个办法）。 例句：小刚点子多，灵机一动就想出个好主意。 | brainwave |
| 毫不犹豫 | 形容人在处理事情上非常果断，没有片刻迟疑。 例句：听到男孩的呼救声，志文毫不犹豫的跳入河中救人。 | without hesitation |
| 杰作 | 出色的作品，或指出色的制作。 例句：蒙娜丽莎带着神秘的微笑，十分传神，达芬奇的这副肖像画真是文艺复兴时期最有代表性的杰作。 | masterpiece |
| 得意洋洋 | 形容十分得意的样子。 例句：考试得了第一名，他得意洋洋地回了家。 | triumphant |
| 迫（pò）不及待 | 意思是急迫得不能等待。形容心情急切。 例句：今天有足球赛，我刚进屋就迫不及待地打开了电视机。 | can’t wait |
| 半信半疑 | 意思是一半相信，一半怀疑。表示对真假不敢肯定。 例句：尽管大家都这么说，他还是半信半疑。 | dubious |
| 枯萎 | 植物因干旱或更换枝叶等原因干枯萎缩；也可以比喻人的心情和状态逐渐低落，缺乏生气的样子。 例句：自从被摘下来的那一刻，玫瑰花就开始枯萎了。 | withered; wilt |
| 妄(wàng)自 | 妄：胡乱的；妄自意思是自己随意的认为和想象。 例句：学海浩瀚，你只读了一点书，千万不可妄自尊大。 | hubris |
| 一事无成 | 意思是连一样事情也没有做成，指什么事情都做不成，形容毫无成就。 例句：生活不能游戏人生，否则就会一事无成。 | accomplished nothing |
Daily Language 