守株待兔
含义
To guard a tree stump waiting for a rabbit; to passively wait for good luck to repeat; to rely on chance rather than effort or adaptation.
A four-character idiom (成语) originating from Han Feizi. A farmer in the Song state saw a rabbit accidentally run into a tree stump and die, so he abandoned farming and waited by the stump for more rabbits — in vain. The idiom criticises those who cling to past success without adapting, or who passively wait for fortune rather than taking proactive action. Commonly used to warn against complacency, rigid thinking, or mechanical repetition of old strategies in changed circumstances.
例句
- 在快速变化的市场里，有些企业仍守株待兔，指望旧模式自动奏效，结果被对手甩开。
- 学语言不是守株待兔地等灵感，而要靠规划、投入和反复练习。
- 这家长期依赖单一客户的供应商在对方转单后陷入困境，才知守株待兔式经营埋下了隐患。
用法指南
语境: business strategy, education, criticism, idiom usage
语气: critical
正确说法
- 面对行业格局的深刻变化，任何守株待兔、坐等市场自动恢复的侥幸心理都将使企业错失战略转型的关键窗口期，最终付出难以挽回的竞争代价。(Facing profound shifts in industry structure, any complacent mentality of guarding the stump and waiting for the market to recover on its own will cause enterprises to miss the critical window for strategic transformation, ultimately paying an irreversible competitive price.)
- 科研创新不能守株待兔，必须靠系统设计、充足投入和跨学科协作。(Scientific innovation cannot rely on waiting passively; it must depend on systematic design, sufficient investment, and interdisciplinary collaboration.)
错误说法
- 守株待兔 for literal waiting behaviour — use 等待 (to wait) or 坐等 (to sit and wait); 守株待兔 specifically conveys the criticism of passivity based on an unrealistic expectation that past luck will repeat, and is inappropriate when the waiting itself is rational or necessary
起源与历史
守 (to guard, to keep watch over) + 株 (tree stump) + 待 (to wait for) + 兔 (rabbit) — from Han Feizi, Wudu chapter: a Song farmer saw a rabbit dash into a stump and die, abandoned farming to wait by the stump, was ridiculed across the state
文化背景
时代: Warring States
世代: All ages
社会背景: Universal
相关短语
闪卡、测验、音频发音和间隔重复