Words & phrases
亡羊补牢
wáng yáng bǔ láo
repair a problem after a loss to prevent more loss
拔苗助长
bá miáo zhù zhǎng
spoil progress by trying to force it
规律
guī lǜ
pattern; underlying rule
Model sentences
亡羊补牢告诉我们，发现问题后及时改正仍有意义。
wáng yáng bǔ láo gào su wǒ men， fā xiàn wèn tí hòu jí shí gǎi zhèng réng yǒu yì yì。
The idiom teaches that correcting a problem promptly can still be worthwhile.
拔苗助长说明急于求成反而会造成伤害。
bá miáo zhù zhǎng shuō míng jí yú qiú chéng fǎn ér huì zào chéng shāng hài。
The idiom shows that forcing quick results can cause harm instead.
第二次丢羊以后，农夫赶紧修补羊圈。
dì èr cì diū yáng yǐ hòu， nóng fū gǎn jǐn xiū bǔ yáng juàn。
After losing another sheep, the farmer promptly repairs the pen.
另一个农夫把秧苗一棵棵往上拔。
lìng yí ge nóng fū bǎ yāng miáo yì kē kē wǎng shàng bá。
Another farmer pulls every seedling upwards.
拖延修补会让损失继续增加。
tuō yán xiū bǔ huì ràng sǔn shī jì xù zēng jiā。
Delaying the repair allows the loss to continue increasing.
植物生长有自己的规律，不能用力拉快。
zhí wù shēng zhǎng yǒu zì jǐ de guī lǜ， bù néng yòng lì lā kuài。
Plants follow their own growth patterns and cannot be pulled into growing faster.
成语故事
一个人养了一群羊，羊圈的墙上却出现了一个洞。
yí ge rén yǎng le yī qún yáng， yáng juàn de qiáng shàng què chū xiàn le yí ge dòng。
A man keeps a flock of sheep, but a hole appears in the sheepfold’s wall.
一天清早，他到羊圈一数，发现少了一只羊。邻居指着洞说：“夜里狼从这里钻进去，把羊叼走了，赶快把洞补好吧。”
yì tiān qīng zǎo， tā dào yáng juàn yī shù， fā xiàn shǎo le yì zhī yáng。 lín jū zhǐ zhe dòng shuō：“yè lǐ láng cóng zhè lǐ zuān jìn qu， bǎ yáng diāo zǒu le， gǎn kuài bǎ dòng bǔ hǎo ba。”
One morning he counted his sheep and found one missing. A neighbour pointed at the hole. “A wolf came through at night. Repair it quickly.”
邻居早就劝他修补，他却说：“羊已经丢了，现在补还有什么用？”于是把工具留在墙边。
lín jū zǎo jiù quàn tā xiū bǔ， tā què shuō：“yáng yǐ jīng diū le， xiàn zài bǔ hái yǒu shén me yòng？” yú shì bǎ gōng jù liú zài qiáng biān。
His neighbour has urged repairs, but he asks what use they are after the loss and leaves his tools aside.
第二天，又少了一只羊。他赶紧找来材料，把洞补好。忙完以后，他又围着羊圈走一遍，检查还有没有破的地方。
dì èr tiān， yòu shǎo le yì zhī yáng。 tā gǎn jǐn zhǎo lái cái liào， bǎ dòng bǔ hǎo。 máng wán yǐ hòu， tā yòu wéi zhe yáng juàn zǒu yí biàn， jiǎn chá hái yǒu méi yǒu pò de dì fang。
The next day, another sheep was gone. He found materials and repaired the hole, then walked around the pen to check for further damage.
邻居再来看时，洞已经补好，剩下的羊都在圈里，养羊的人终于不再担心夜里又丢羊。
lín jū zài lái kàn shí， dòng yǐ jīng bǔ hǎo， shèng xia de yáng dōu zài quān lǐ， yǎng yáng de rén zhōng yú bù zài dān xīn yè lǐ yòu diū yáng。
When the neighbour returns, the hole is repaired and the remaining sheep are safe, ending the owner’s worry about another loss at night.
另一个农民每天去看秧苗，总嫌长得太慢。一天，他想出一个办法，把苗一株株往上拔，忙到太阳快下山才停手。
lìng yí ge nóng mín měi tiān qù kàn yāng miáo， zǒng xián zhǎng de tài màn。 yì tiān， tā xiǎng chū yí ge bàn fǎ， bǎ miáo yì zhū zhū wǎng shàng bá， máng dào tài yáng kuài xià shān cái tíng shǒu。
Another farmer checked his seedlings daily and felt they grew too slowly. One day he pulled each a little higher, working until near sunset.
他站在田边，发现秧苗果然高了，便满意地拍拍手，拖着疲倦的脚步回家。
tā zhàn zài tián biān， fā xiàn yāng miáo guǒ rán gāo le， biàn mǎn yì de pāi pāi shǒu， tuō zhe pí juàn de jiǎo bù huí jiā。
The seedlings looked taller, so he clapped his hands in satisfaction and headed home wearily.
他回家说：“今天可把我累坏了，秧苗一下子长高了！”儿子听完，急忙跑去看。
tā huí jiā shuō：“jīn tiān kě bǎ wǒ lèi huài le， yāng miáo yí xià zi zhǎng gāo le！” ér zi tīng wán， jí máng pǎo qù kàn。
He returns home saying, “I am exhausted, but the seedlings are much taller now!” His son rushes out to look.
田里的秧苗已经垂下叶子，儿子摸摸松开的根，才知道父亲把苗一株株拔高了。
tián lǐ de yāng miáo yǐ jīng chuí xià yè zi， ér zi mō mō sōng kāi de gēn， cái zhī dào fù qīn bǎ miáo yì zhū zhū bá gāo le。
The seedlings droop; feeling their loosened roots, the son realises his father has pulled them up one by one.
父亲来到田边，望着枯萎的秧苗，再也说不出刚才那句得意的话。
fù qīn lái dào tián biān， wàng zhe kū wěi de yāng miáo， zài yě shuō bù chū gāng cái nà jù dé yì de huà。
The father reaches the field, looks at the withered seedlings and can no longer repeat his proud words.
Conversation
A 亡羊补牢里，补是什么意思？
wáng yáng bǔ láo lǐ， bǔ shì shén me yì si？
In the first idiom, what does the character meaning ‘repair’ refer to?
B 修补羊圈，防止再丢羊。
xiū bǔ yáng juàn， fáng zhǐ zài diū yáng。
Repair the pen to prevent more sheep being lost.
A 已经丢了羊，为什么还值得修？
yǐ jīng diū le yáng， wèi shén me hái zhí de xiū？
Why repair it after sheep have already been lost?
B 因为还能保护剩下的羊。
yīn wèi hái néng bǎo hù shèng xia de yáng。
Because the remaining sheep can still be protected.
A 拔苗为什么没有真的帮助生长？
bá miáo wèi shén me méi yǒu zhēn de bāng zhù shēng zhǎng？
Why does pulling seedlings not help them grow?
B 只是改变高度，却伤了根。
zhǐ shì gǎi biàn gāo dù， què shāng le gēn。
It changes their height but damages their roots.
