CHENGYU
拔苗助长(bá miáo zhù zhǎng)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- literary
- Source:
- 《孟子·公孙丑上》
MEANING
- Literal
- to pull up seedlings to help them grow
- Figurative meaning
- to spoil things by rushing them; to force growth
ORIGIN STORY
Mencius tells of a farmer who tugged his seedlings taller to speed up their growth. By evening the pulled seedlings had all withered.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“to force things; to rush the process”
EXAMPLES
学习要一步一步来，不能拔苗助长。Xuéxí yào yí bù yí bù lái, bù néng bá miáo zhù zhǎng.HSK6
Study step by step; you cannot force growth by pulling.
让孩子提前学太多，可能是拔苗助长。Ràng háizi tíqián xué tài duō, kěnéng shì bá miáo zhù zhǎng.HSK6
Making children learn too much too early may be forcing growth.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: Note the special reading: 长 is zhǎng (to grow), not cháng (long).
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-14
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01