諺語 · a single proverb
守株待兔
What does 守株待兔 (shǒu zhū dài tù) mean?
守株待兔 (shǒu zhū dài tù) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "guard the stump, wait for the rabbit." In use it means: A caution against idle hope where effort is needed; arrange your space to act, not to wait. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Wood note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rabbit.
Literally: "guard the stump, wait for the rabbit."
The reading
Luck that came once will not return to the same still hand. Arrange your life to move toward what you want, not to sit by the stump waiting for it to fall again.
The story
From the Han Feizi, in the essay Five Vermin. A farmer of Song saw a hare run into a tree stump and break its neck, and he ate well that night; so he set down his plow and waited by the stump for the next hare, while his field went to weeds and the whole state laughed at him. Han Feizi told it against rulers who cling to a lucky precedent instead of governing the present.
Notice where you are sitting by a stump, waiting for a piece of luck to repeat itself while the field goes untended. Arrange your days to move toward what you want, because the hare that came once will not return to the same still hand.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Han Feizi 韓非子, Five Vermin
Sits beside
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Wealth, Work & Diligence, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rabbit, Year of the Tiger, Year of the Ox, and Year of the Horse.
Questions
Is 守株待兔 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 守株待兔 (shǒu zhū dài tù) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Han Feizi 韓非子, Five Vermin. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 守株待兔?
In Mandarin it is shǒu zhū dài tù. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 守株待兔 aloud in Mandarin.