守株待兔

　　Staying by a Stump Waiting for More Hares To Come and Dash Themselves Against It This 　

story　took place more than 2,000 years ago,in the Warring States period（475-221 B.C.）. 　

Tradition　has it that in the State of Song at that time there was a man who was famous for 　

staying by a　 stump waiting for more hares to come and dash themselves against it. He was a 　

yong farmer,and　 his family had been farmers for generations.Year after year and generation 　

after generation,　farmers used to sow in spring and harve

sunrise and retiring　at sunset.In good harvest years,they could only have enough food to eat 　

and enough clothing　to wear.If there was a famine due to crop failure,they had to go hungry. 　

This young farmer　 wanted to improve his life.But he was too lazy and too cowardly.Being 　

lazy　and cowardly over　everything,he often dreamed of having unexpected blessings. A 　

miracle took　place at last.　One day in late autumn,when he was ploughing in the field, 　

two groups of people　were hunting　nearby.As shoutings were rising one after another, 　

scared hares were running　desperately.Suddenly,a blind hare dashed itself headlong against 　

the stump of a dead tree in　his field and died. That day,he ate his fill. From that day on, 　

he no longer went in for　farming again.From morning till night,he stayed by that 　

miraculous stump,waiting for miracles　to take place again. This story comes from"The Five 　

Vermin"in The Works of Han Feizi.Later　generations often use the set phrase"staying by a 　

stump waiting for more hares to come and　dash themselves against it"to show grusting to 　

chance and windfalls or dreaming to reap　without sowing.It is also used to show adhering to 　

narrow experiences and not.