S7E02 | What’s the Rush?
Saying: “To pull on the sprouts to speed up their growth”
Pinyin: Yà Miáo Zhù Zhǎng
Chinese: 揠苗助长
In this second installment of the 7th Season, Laszlo once refers to "The Mengzi" for this short tale of the foolish farmer who wasn't satisfied with nature's pace. This time we look at 揠苗助长 Yà Miáo Zhù Zhǎng. Let's face it, some things in life take time, especially when the natural order of things is involved. This farmer back in the ancient Song State thought he had developed a winning technique to speed the growth of his fields. It didn't turn out like he expected.
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Terms in Episode
| Pinyin/Term | Chinese | English/Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Chéngyǔ | 成语 | A Chinese Saying or idiom |
| Mèngzǐ | 孟子 | 372-289 BC a Confucian philosopher, also called the Second Sage. He was from Confucius's fourth generation of disciples and did much to further the Great Sage's thought |
| Zhū Xī | 朱熹 | 1130-1200, Southern Song dynasty calligrapher, historian,philosopher, poet and politician during the Song Dynasty. He was among the most influential figures of his time in the development of Neo-Confucian philosophy. |
| Sì Shū | 四书 | The Four Books were the most authoritative book of Confucian thought. The Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean, The Analects, The Mengzi |
| Gōngsūn Chǒu | 公孙丑 | A disciple of Mengzi |
| Yuán Mù Qiú Yú | 缘木求鱼 | To clime a tree to catch a fish, featured in Season 1 Episode 4. This saying also came from The Mengzi |
| Yà Miáo Zhù Zhǎng | 揠苗助长 | To pull on the seedlings to assist their growth |
| Yà | 揠 | To pull or tug |
| bá | 拔 | To pull or tug (another way of saying it) |
| bácǎo | 拔草 | To pull weeds |
| miáo | 苗 | a sprout or a seedling |
| Zhù | 助 | To assist or help |
| zhǎng | 长 | To grow or develop |
| Sòng | 宋国 | The Song Dynasty 960-1279 |
| Shāngqiū | 商丘 | A city in eastern Henan on the border with Shandong. A pretty ancient place. |
| Hénán | 河南 | Province in north central China |
| Shāndōng | 山东 | Coastal Province that were once known as the kingdoms of Qi and Lu |
| Lǔ | 鲁国 | a Zhou Dynasty vassal state that existed from 1042 to 249 BC |
| Bǔxíbān | 补习班 | These are after school learning centers where students get tutoring assistance for all kinds of subjects. They are also known as cram schools where students are prepped for big tests |
| Mèngmǔ | 孟母 | Mengzi's mother |
| Mèng Kē | 孟轲 | Mengzi's birth name |
| Chengyu Yánjiū Zhōngxīn | 成语研究中心 | The Teacup Chengyu Research Center in northwest Beijing, managed by Reliable Emma |
