拔苗助长
Pulling up seedlings
Read, find evidence, and explain in your own words.
Read
宋国有个农夫，很希望田里的禾苗快快长高。他每天都去看，总觉得长得太慢。别人照常除草、照看田地，他却站在田边发愁，想找一个能让禾苗立刻变高的办法。
A farmer in Song wanted his seedlings to grow quickly. He checked them each day and always felt they were growing too slowly. While others tended their fields and removed weeds, he worried about finding a way to make his plants taller at once.
一天，他终于想出了主意。他走进田里，把每一棵禾苗都往上拔了一点。从这头忙到那头，他累得直不起腰。回到家，他高兴地告诉家人：今天可累坏了，我帮助禾苗长高了！
One day he had an idea. He went through the field, pulling every seedling up a little. Working from one end to the other left him exhausted. At home he proudly told his family that he had helped the seedlings grow taller.
他的儿子听了，赶紧跑到田里去看。禾苗确实比原来高了一点，却都开始枯萎。农夫只看见上面的高度，没有想到根受到了损伤。想帮忙的心意，不能保证用的办法就合适。
His son hurried to the field. The seedlings did stand a little higher, but they were withering. The farmer had looked only at their height and had not considered the damage to their roots. Wanting to help did not make his method helpful.
Explore the text
故事改写自《孟子·公孙丑上》，成语也写作揠苗助长。揠读作亚的音，意思是拔。这里的长读生长的长。学习也需要时间，可以练习和求助，不必靠催促或比较来证明进步。
Adapted from Mencius, Gongsun Chou I. The expression can also be written 揠苗助长; 揠 is read yà and means pull. Here zhang means grow. Learning also takes time. Practice and asking for help can support it; pressure and comparison are not proof of progress.
Words to practise
苗助长根田