中文 / A2
守株待兔
宋国有一个农民。他的田里有一个树桩，就是树被砍掉后留下的一小段。
一只兔子跑过来，撞上树桩，脖子断了，死在田里。
农民放下干活用的工具，不再种田。他守着那个树桩，想再得到一只这样的兔子。
可是，兔子没有再来。他没有等到兔子，宋国的人反而都笑话他。
English summary · includes the ending
A farmer in the ancient state of Song has a tree stump in his field. A running rabbit crashes into it, breaks its neck and dies. The farmer has unexpectedly gained a rabbit without catching one himself.
He puts down his farming tools and stays beside the stump. He hopes to get another rabbit in the same way, replacing his work in the field with waiting for the accident to happen again.
No second rabbit arrives. Instead of obtaining another easy reward, the farmer becomes an object of laughter among the people of Song.
The mistake is to treat one unusual event as something he can depend on repeatedly. Remaining beside the same stump does not make another rabbit crash into it. The brief tale gives no account of his harvest or later life; its ending rests on the contrast between the rabbit he hopes to gain and the ridicule he actually receives.
Adapted for Lejrbål from the credited source.
Read the source