What does the Chinese idiom 守株待兔 mean?

守株待兔 (shǒu zhū dài tù) means “wait by the stump for a hare.” It describes someone who waits for luck instead of working, or who expects a lucky accident to happen again.

What is the moral of Waiting by the Tree Stump?

A lucky break doesn’t come every day. The farmer stopped working to wait for another rabbit, none came, and his field filled with weeds. In our version he finally understands and goes back to work.

Where does 守株待兔 come from?

It comes from the Han Feizi, chapter “Five Vermin,” written by the philosopher Han Fei at the end of the Warring States period (3rd century BC). The farmer is from the state of Song, in what is now eastern Henan. Han Fei used the story to mock rulers who wanted to govern the present with the methods of ancient kings.

Is it a hare or a rabbit in 守株待兔?

The character 兔 (tù) covers both. Translations of the idiom usually say hare, and our English story says rabbit.

How do you say 守株待兔 in English?

There is no exact English idiom. It is usually translated literally, as “waiting by the stump for a hare,” and explained as waiting for luck instead of working for what you want.

Waiting by the Tree Stump (守株待兔)

Ages 4–8
English audio 2 min
Mandarin audio 3 min

Waiting by the Tree Stump is a classic story from Chinese Idiom Stories for Kids, for children aged 4–8. This page has the English story with a native English narration (about 2 min), plus the Chinese version with Mandarin narration (about 3 min). Free to read and listen, no sign-up.

A farmer gets a free rabbit when it runs into a tree stump, so he stops working and waits by the stump for another. The idiom story 守株待兔 in English and Chinese, with narration.

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Read Waiting by the Tree Stump

Long ago, in the land of Song, there lived a farmer. At the edge of his field, there was an old tree stump.

Every day the farmer worked hard. He dug the soil, planted seeds and pulled out weeds.

One day, a rabbit came running out of the grass. It ran so fast that it hit the stump. Bump! It fell down and did not move.

The farmer picked up the rabbit. "What luck!" he said. "I got a rabbit without any work at all."

The next morning, he did not go to work in his field. He sat down next to the stump. "Maybe another rabbit will come," he thought.

He waited all morning. No rabbit came. He waited all afternoon. Still no rabbit. The next day he waited again, and the day after that.

Days went by. No more rabbits ran into the stump. Weeds grew all over his field, and his plants died. The people in the village laughed at him.

At last the farmer understood. The first rabbit was just luck. To get something good, you have to work for it every day. So the next morning, he went back to his field.

The Chinese version: 守株待兔

很久很久以前，宋国有一个农夫。他家有一块田，田边有一个矮矮的树桩，那是一棵老树被砍掉以后留下来的。

每天天一亮，农夫就扛着锄头下地干活。春天翻土、播种，夏天锄草、浇水，常常忙得满头大汗。

有一天，他正在田里锄草，忽然听见“砰”的一声。抬头一看，一只野兔从草丛里飞快地窜出来，慌慌张张地一头撞在了那个树桩上，倒在地上一动也不动了。

农夫跑过去，捡起兔子，高兴得合不拢嘴：“今天的运气真好！一点力气也没花，就白白捡到一只肥兔子。”那天晚上，他美美地吃了一顿。

第二天，农夫没有扛锄头，而是早早地来到树桩旁边坐下。他心里想：“要是每天都能捡到一只兔子，我还种什么地呀！”

他坐了一上午，没有兔子。他又坐了一下午，还是没有兔子。天黑了，他只好空着手回家。可是第三天、第四天，他还是天天守在树桩旁边，眼睛一眨不眨地盯着草丛。

就这样，一天又一天过去了，再也没有兔子撞到树桩上来。农夫的田里长满了野草，庄稼全都荒了。村里的人看见了，都笑话他：“哪有那么多兔子，偏偏撞到你的树桩上呢？”

农夫这才明白，那只兔子只是碰巧撞上的。想要有收获，还得靠自己一天一天地干活。第二天一早，他又扛起锄头，下地去了。

Waiting by the Tree Stump (守株待兔): the moral of the story

A lucky break doesn’t happen every day. Good things come from steady work, day after day, not from waiting for luck to strike again.

What does Waiting by the Tree Stump mean?: Literally “guard the stump, wait for a hare”: 守 (shǒu) keep watch, 株 (zhū) tree stump, 待 (dài) wait for, 兔 (tù) hare or rabbit. It describes waiting for good luck instead of working for it, or clinging to something that worked once by pure chance.
Example sentence: The test is next week, and he hasn’t studied. He says he’ll just hope the questions he knows come up. That’s 守株待兔 (shǒu zhū dài tù): you can’t pass by waiting for luck.

The original Chinese text of Waiting by the Tree Stump

宋人有耕者，田中有株，兔走触株，折颈而死，因释其耒而守株，冀复得兔。兔不可复得，而身为宋国笑。

— 《韩非子·五蠹》

Our translation

A man of Song was farming his land. In his field stood a tree stump. A hare running past struck the stump, broke its neck and died. So the man put down his plow and kept watch by the stump, hoping to get another hare. He never got another hare, and he became the laughingstock of Song.

— Han Feizi, “Five Vermin” (3rd century BC)

Chinese words in Waiting by the Tree Stump

Play the Chinese narration and listen for these words. The pinyin shows the tones.

守株待兔shǒu zhū dài tù
wait by the stump for a hare
农夫nóng fū
farmer
田tián
field
树桩shù zhuāng
tree stump
锄头chú tou
hoe
兔子tù zi
rabbit
运气yùn qi
luck
笑话xiào hua
laugh at

Bedtime storytelling tips

When the rabbit runs into the stump, clap once for the “Bump!” Children love it.
As the farmer waits day after day, pause after each day and let your child guess: “Will a rabbit come today?”
For families learning Chinese, the key word is 兔子 (tù zi), rabbit. Say it each time the rabbit comes up, and let your child do a bunny hop.

Things to talk about afterwards

How did the farmer get his first rabbit?
The farmer waited by the stump every day. What happened to his field?
Have you ever hoped to get something without working for it? What happened?

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Waiting by the Tree Stump (守株待兔): common questions

What does the Chinese idiom 守株待兔 mean?: 守株待兔 (shǒu zhū dài tù) means “wait by the stump for a hare.” It describes someone who waits for luck instead of working, or who expects a lucky accident to happen again.
What is the moral of Waiting by the Tree Stump?: A lucky break doesn’t come every day. The farmer stopped working to wait for another rabbit, none came, and his field filled with weeds. In our version he finally understands and goes back to work.
Where does 守株待兔 come from?: It comes from the Han Feizi, chapter “Five Vermin,” written by the philosopher Han Fei at the end of the Warring States period (3rd century BC). The farmer is from the state of Song, in what is now eastern Henan. Han Fei used the story to mock rulers who wanted to govern the present with the methods of ancient kings.
Is it a hare or a rabbit in 守株待兔?: The character 兔 (tù) covers both. Translations of the idiom usually say hare, and our English story says rabbit.
How do you say 守株待兔 in English?: There is no exact English idiom. It is usually translated literally, as “waiting by the stump for a hare,” and explained as waiting for luck instead of working for what you want.

Source and how we retold it

From the Han Feizi, chapter “Five Vermin” (五蠹), written by Han Fei at the end of the Warring States period; the original is in the public domain. We expanded the original into a story for children and added an ending where the farmer understands his mistake and goes back to work. The original ends with him becoming the laughingstock of Song.

The narration on this page is AI-generated: the English is read by 英伦绅士 and the Chinese by 温柔妈妈. The audio files are labeled as AI-generated.

If you liked Waiting by the Tree Stump (守株待兔), there are more stories in Chinese Idiom Stories for Kids. You can also read this one to your child in your own voice.