成语趣谈（三）：守株待兔 About Chinese Idioms (3): Stand by a Tree Stump Waiting for a Hare to Come and Dash Itself Against It

During the Warring States period, there was a farmer in the state of Song who was cultivating a field with a tree stump. One day, a rabbit ran in panic and collided with a tree stump, breaking its neck and dying. The farmer was overjoyed and brought the rabbit home for a delicious meal. Afterwards, the farmer put down his farming tools and stopped doing farm work. He stayed by the tree stump all day, hoping to find another rabbit. But in the end, the rabbit never appeared again, and the farming work in the fields was delayed. The farmer had no harvest, and he himself became a laughing stock.

The rabbit collided with a tree stump while running, breaking its neck and dying, which is a rare occurrence. It's not that there's no possibility of it happening, it's just that this possibility is extremely rare. And this farmer regards this phenomenon as an inevitable one, looking forward to the event happening again.

Farming in the fields is very hard, and being able to have meat to eat is actually a blessing. Why can't we try again after accidentally obtaining it? Maybe a second rabbit or a third rabbit died after colliding with a tree stump.

If the farmer wants to taste delicious rabbit meat again, they can bring a hunting rifle or set traps to catch rabbits. But this farmer doesn't want to do anything, he just wants to wait for the pie to fall from the sky.

Isn't this ridiculous? The root cause of this outcome is not the foolishness of the farmers, but rather the psychology of getting something for nothing.

Getting something for nothing is actually a human trait - greed and laziness. Some people obtain unjust wealth by occupying social resources through power, money, and connections, without making any contribution to society. Some people take shortcuts to seek benefits, disrupting social order and corrupting social norms.

So, we must eliminate the idea of getting something for nothing, be down-to-earth, and devote ourselves to our work and career.

战国时期的宋国有个农夫在田地里耕作，田中有一个树桩。一天，一只兔子惊慌奔跑时撞在树桩上，脖子折断死去。这个农夫大喜过望，将兔子带回家，美美吃了一顿。此后，农夫便放下农具，不再干农活，整日里守在树桩旁边，希望能再捡到一只兔子。可最终兔子再也没有出现，地里的农活也耽搁了，庄家没有了收成，他自己反而成了宋国的笑话。

兔子在奔跑的过程中撞到树桩上，撞断脖子死去，这是一种偶然现象，甚至可以说千载难逢。不是说没有出现的可能，只是这种可能微乎其微。而这个农夫把这种现象当做一种必然现象，期待着事件的再次发生。

田里耕作很是辛苦，能够有肉吃，实为一件幸事。一次偶然获得，为何不能再试一试呢？说不定还有第二只兔子、第三只兔子撞树桩而死。

如想再次吃到美味的兔肉，农夫完全可以带上猎枪或者设置圈套去捕捉兔子。可这个农夫什么也不想做，只想等着天上掉馅饼。

这是不是很可笑？造成这种结果的根源不是农夫傻，而是不劳而获的心理在作怪。
不劳而获，其实是人的一种劣性——贪婪和懒惰。有些人通过权利、金钱和关系占用社会资源来获得不义之财，而不为社会做任何贡献。还有些人投机取巧，牟取利益，扰乱了社会秩序，败坏了社会风气。

所以，我们必须消除不劳而获的思想，脚踏实地，致力于自己的工作和事业。

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