成語故事：拔苗助長（中英對照）

 　　【成語來源】

　　try to help the Shoots grow by pulling them upward/spoil things by excessive enthusiasm

　　拔苗助長

　　There once was an impatient farmer who lived during the Song Dynasty.(sòng cháo,960-1279 AD).

　　春秋時代，宋國有個急性子的農(nóng)夫。

　　Everyday the anxious farmer would measure the growth of the crops.

　　莊稼長出禾苗以后，他每天都去觀看。

　　To his dismay, his crops were growing much slower than he expected.

　　令他沮喪的是，禾苗長得太慢。

　　The farmer racked his brains trying to find better ways of planting in order to get quicker results.

　　農(nóng)夫絞盡腦汁想讓禾苗長快些。

　　One day he finally came up with a solution.

　　一天他終于想出方法。

　　He started to physically pull the crops out of the ground, thus making them taller.

　　他跑到田里，把禾苗一顆顆往上拔，使它們長高。

　　The farmer worked very hard and at day’s end was physically exhausted but mentally happy as his plan had produced the desired results.

　　農(nóng)夫雖然很累但他很高興看到禾苗長高。

　　When the farmer went home, he told his son of his “brilliant” method.

　　當(dāng)農(nóng)夫回家時，把這個好辦法告訴了他兒子。

　　His son went to the field only to discover that all of his crops were all dead.

　　他的兒子趕忙跑到田里去看，禾苗全都枯萎了。

　　【成語活用】

　　To educate the young generation in such a way is just like helping the shoots grow by pulling them upward.

　　用這種方法教育下一代無異于拔苗助長。