当我用英语跟读《成语故事之守株待兔》

"The Story of Waiting for a Rabbit by Guarding a Stump"

During the Spring and Autumn period, there was a farmer in the state of Song, who diligently tilled his land. One day, while he was working in the field, a wild rabbit suddenly darted out from the bushes. Startled, it ran desperately and unfortunately crashed into a stump at the edge of the farmer's field, breaking its neck and dying there.

The farmer, witnessing this scene, was overjoyed, thinking himself very lucky to have gotten a rabbit without any effort. He took the rabbit home and enjoyed a delicious rabbit feast with his wife.

After that, the farmer no longer focused on his farming but spent every day beside that stump, hoping for another rabbit to meet the same fate. He laid down his farming tools and neglected his fields, wishing only for unearned gains. However, such an incident never occurred again. As time passed, his fields became overgrown with weeds, the crops were submerged and became desolate.

This incident quickly spread throughout the state of Song, and people laughed at the farmer's foolish behavior. The story of waiting for a rabbit by guarding a stump thus became widespread, serving as a warning against hoping for luck and expecting unearned gains.

This story admonishes us not to treat chance luck as the norm, nor to abandon effort and work because of it. Only through relentless labor and wisdom can one achieve true success and harvest. It also satirizes those who cling to narrow experiences and are inflexible in their thinking.