shǒuzhūdàitù: 守株待兔 - To wait by a tree stump for a rabbit; To rely on luck instead of effort

• Keywords: shou zhu dai tu, shǒuzhūdàitù, 守株待兔, waiting for a rabbit by a tree stump, Chinese idiom for lazy, relying on luck, inflexible thinking, stick in the mud, Chinese chengyu, Chinese fable.
• Summary: Learn the famous Chinese idiom (chengyu) 守株待兔 (shǒuzhūdàitù), which literally means “to stand by a tree stump waiting for a rabbit.” This page explores the ancient fable behind the phrase and explains its modern use in describing someone who is foolishly relying on luck, stubbornly sticking to outdated methods, or waiting passively for success instead of working for it. Discover why this idiom is a powerful warning against laziness and inflexible thinking in Chinese culture.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): shǒu zhū dài tù
• Part of Speech: Idiom (Chengyu, 成语)
• HSK Level: N/A (but widely known and used)
• Concise Definition: To wait for a lucky break or rely on chance rather than putting in effort.
• In a Nutshell: This idiom comes from a story about a farmer who sees a rabbit accidentally run into a tree stump and die. Thrilled with his free meal, he abandons his farm work and decides to wait by the stump every day, hoping for another rabbit to do the same. Of course, it never happens, and he becomes a laughingstock. The phrase is used to criticize this kind of foolish, passive, and inflexible mindset.

• 守 (shǒu): To guard, to watch over, to keep watch.
• 株 (zhū): The trunk or stump of a tree.
• 待 (dài): To wait for, to await.
• 兔 (tù): Rabbit or hare.

The characters literally combine to mean “Guarding a tree stump, waiting for a rabbit.” The phrase perfectly encapsulates the image from the story, creating a vivid mental picture of someone doing something pointless based on a past, random event.

The story of 守株待兔 (shǒuzhūdàitù) originates from the classic text *Han Feizi* (韩非子), written during the Warring States period (c. 233 BCE). It was used as a political parable to argue against rulers who stubbornly clung to the old ways of governing, expecting them to work in a new and changing world. This idiom taps into a deep-seated value in Chinese culture that emphasizes pragmatism, adaptability, and the importance of hard work. While patience is a virtue, the passive, thoughtless waiting depicted in 守株待兔 is seen as a sign of foolishness and naivety. A Western concept that comes close is “waiting for lightning to strike twice.” Both phrases describe relying on a rare, chance event to happen again. However, 守株待兔 carries an even stronger connotation of inaction and stubbornness. It's not just about waiting for a lucky break; it’s about *abandoning one's proper work* to do so. It criticizes someone for being not only lucky but also lazy and dogmatic.

守株待兔 is almost always used with a negative or critical connotation. It’s a common and well-understood idiom used in various contexts to criticize inaction, laziness, or rigid thinking.

• In Business: It can be used to describe a company that refuses to innovate, sticking to an old business model while its competitors adapt. “They are just 守株待兔, waiting for customers to come to them instead of doing any marketing.”
• In Personal Advice: It's often used to encourage someone to be proactive. “You can't find a good job by just 守株待兔 at home; you need to send out resumes and network.”
• In General Conversation: It can describe anyone who is stubbornly applying a method that only worked once by chance. “His whole strategy is 守株待兔.”

It is suitable for both formal writing and informal conversation, as the story is taught to children from a young age.

• Example 1:
  • 市场变化这么快，我们不能守株待兔，必须主动出击。
  • Pinyin: Shìchǎng biànhuà zhème kuài, wǒmen bùnéng shǒuzhūdàitù, bìxū zhǔdòng chūjí.
  • English: The market is changing so fast, we can't just wait for good luck to fall into our laps; we must be proactive.
  • Analysis: A classic business context. It contrasts the passive, foolish approach of 守株待兔 with the proactive strategy of 主动出击 (zhǔdòng chūjí), “to take the initiative.”
• Example 2:
  • 你不能指望靠运气成功，那种守株待兔的想法太天真了。
  • Pinyin: Nǐ bùnéng zhǐwàng kào yùnqì chénggōng, nà zhǒng shǒuzhūdàitù de xiǎngfǎ tài tiānzhēn le.
  • English: You can't expect to succeed by relying on luck; that kind of “waiting for a windfall” thinking is too naive.
  • Analysis: This sentence directly criticizes the mindset (想法, xiǎngfǎ) behind the idiom, labeling it as naive (天真, tiānzhēn).
• Example 3:
  • 他每天都买彩票，以为能中大奖，简直是在守株待兔。
  • Pinyin: Tā měitiān dōu mǎi cǎipiào, yǐwéi néng zhòng dàjiǎng, jiǎnzhí shì zài shǒuzhūdàitù.
  • English: He buys a lottery ticket every day, thinking he'll win the grand prize. It's simply a case of waiting for a fluke.
  • Analysis: This example perfectly illustrates the modern equivalent of waiting for a rabbit—hoping to get rich from the lottery without any real strategy or effort.
• Example 4:
  • 在爱情里，你也要主动一点，不能总是守株待兔。
  • Pinyin: Zài àiqíng lǐ, nǐ yě yào zhǔdòng yīdiǎn, bùnéng zǒngshì shǒuzhūdàitù.
  • English: In love, you also have to be a bit more proactive; you can't always just wait for someone to come to you.
  • Analysis: Shows how the idiom is applied to personal life, like dating, to advise against passivity.
• Example 5:
  • 这个老牌公司的失败，就是因为他们多年来一直守株待兔，不愿创新。
  • Pinyin: Zhège lǎopái gōngsī de shībài, jiùshì yīnwèi tāmen duōnián lái yīzhí shǒuzhūdàitù, bù yuàn chuàngxīn.
  • English: The failure of this old company was because they had been sticking to their old ways for years and were unwilling to innovate.
  • Analysis: Here, the idiom's meaning emphasizes inflexibility and a refusal to innovate (创新, chuàngxīn) more than just laziness.
• Example 6:
  • 学习一门新技能需要练习，而不是守株待兔地等待灵感。
  • Pinyin: Xuéxí yī mén xīn jìnéng xūyào liànxí, ér bùshì shǒuzhūdàitù de děngdài línggǎn.
  • English: Learning a new skill requires practice, not just passively waiting for inspiration.
  • Analysis: Contrasts the hard work of practice (练习, liànxí) with the foolishness of waiting for something to happen on its own.
• Example 7:
  • 警察没有守株待兔，而是通过分析线索找到了罪犯。
  • Pinyin: Jǐngchá méiyǒu shǒuzhūdàitù, érshì tōngguò fēnxī xiànsuǒ zhǎodàole zuìfàn.
  • English: The police didn't just wait for the criminal to slip up, but rather found him by analyzing clues.
  • Analysis: This example shows the idiom in a negative construction (“did not do X”), highlighting the smart, active alternative.
• Example 8:
  • 他的投资策略就是守株待兔，买了一只股票后就指望它一飞冲天。
  • Pinyin: Tā de tóuzī cèlüè jiùshì shǒuzhūdàitù, mǎile yī zhī gǔpiào hòu jiù zhǐwàng tā yīfēichōngtiān.
  • English: His investment strategy is pure wishful thinking; after buying a stock, he just expects it to skyrocket.
  • Analysis: A financial context where relying on a single, lucky event is seen as a poor strategy.
• Example 9:
  • 别像那个寓言里的农夫一样守株待兔了，兔子不会再来了。
  • Pinyin: Bié xiàng nàge yùyán lǐ de nóngfū yīyàng shǒuzhūdàitù le, tùzǐ bù huì zài lái le.
  • English: Don't be like the farmer in the fable and wait by the tree stump for another rabbit; the rabbit isn't coming back.
  • Analysis: This sentence directly references the origin story, making the meaning crystal clear. It's a very direct way to give advice.
• Example 10:
  • 我们的团队不能有守株待兔的心态，要时刻寻找新的机会。
  • Pinyin: Wǒmen de tuánduì bùnéng yǒu shǒuzhūdàitù de xīntài, yào shíkè xúnzhǎo xīn de jīhuì.
  • English: Our team can't have a “wait and see” mentality; we must always be looking for new opportunities.
  • Analysis: Focuses on the “mentality” or “mindset” (心态, xīntài) associated with the idiom, using it to describe a whole culture of passivity.

• Patience vs. Foolish Waiting: The most common mistake for learners is confusing 守株待兔 with patience. Patience (耐心, nàixīn) is a virtue that implies waiting for the right moment while actively preparing or working. 守株待兔 is a folly that implies abandoning work to wait for a random, low-probability event to repeat itself. It is passive, not patient.
• False Friend: “Good things come to those who wait.” This English proverb suggests that passivity can be rewarded. 守株待兔 is a direct contradiction to this idea; it teaches that only fools wait for rewards to fall from the sky.
• Incorrect Usage:
  • `我正在守株待兔，等我的中文水平提高。` (Wǒ zhèngzài shǒuzhūdàitù, děng wǒ de Zhōngwén shuǐpíng tígāo.)
  • Why it's wrong: This sentence implies you are being lazy and foolishly waiting for your Chinese level to improve on its own. You are criticizing yourself unintentionally.
  • Corrected version: `我正在耐心地学习，希望能提高我的中文水平。` (Wǒ zhèngzài nàixīn de xuéxí, xīwàng néng tígāo wǒ de Zhōngwén shuǐpíng.) - “I am patiently studying, hoping to improve my Chinese level.”

• 刻舟求剑 (kèzhōuqíujiàn) - “Carving the boat to find the sword.” A very similar idiom describing someone who is dogmatic and doesn't adapt to changed circumstances.
• 缘木求鱼 (yuánmùqiúyú) - “Climbing a tree to find a fish.” An idiom for using a completely wrong method to achieve a goal; highlights the foolishness of the approach.
• 坐享其成 (zuòxiǎngqíchéng) - “To sit and enjoy the fruits of others' labor.” Related to the laziness aspect of expecting rewards without effort.
• 墨守成规 (mòshǒuchéngguī) - “To stick rigidly to conventions.” A strong synonym that focuses on the inflexible, anti-innovation aspect of 守株待兔.
• 一劳永逸 (yìláoyǒngyì) - “To solve a problem once and for all.” The person who 守株待兔 foolishly believes they have found a one-time, effortless solution for everything.
• 机会 (jīhuì) - Opportunity, chance. What the foolish farmer is waiting for, believing it's a certainty rather than a random event.
• 努力 (nǔlì) - To work hard, effort. The direct antonym of the behavior described in 守株待兔.
• 创新 (chuàngxīn) - To innovate. The opposite of the rigid, unchanging mindset criticized by the idiom.
• 灵活 (línghuó) - Flexible, agile. A quality that is the direct opposite of the stubborn farmer's mindset.