揠苗助长

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

Origin & Usage

This one comes from the Mencius. A man of Song, impatient that his seedlings (苗) were not growing (长), went through the field pulling (揠) each one upward to help (助) it along, and came home exhausted to announce what he had done; his son ran out to find every plant dead. Mencius tells it against those who force what has to develop in its own time. It is also written 拔苗助长, with the commoner verb. Interference that destroyed what it meant to help — and it is the standard phrase for pushing a child.

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