揠苗助长

Pronunciation: yà miáo zhù zhǎng
Literal meaning: Pull seedlings to help growth

Origin & Usage

This counterproductive idiom describes pulling up (揠) seedlings (苗) to help (助) their growth (长), originating from Mencius's writings during the Warring States period. The story tells of an impatient farmer from Song who, dissatisfied with his seedlings' slow growth, pulled them up slightly each day, ultimately killing his entire crop. The tale became a cornerstone of agricultural wisdom about respecting natural development processes. During the Tang Dynasty, officials applied this metaphor to warn against excessive government intervention. Modern usage criticizes well-intentioned but harmful interference that disrupts natural development, particularly relevant in education, parenting, and management where forced acceleration often produces opposite effects.

Examples

English: "The manager's constant micromanagement hindered the team's natural development"

Chinese: 经理不断的微观管理阻碍了团队的自然发展

---

Discover a new Chinese idiom every day with our iOS app.