揠 yà
- Strokes
- 12
- Radical
- 扌 — hand
- Made of
- 扌 hand 匽 to hide, to repress
- How it's built
- Phono-semantic — one part hints at the meaning, another at the sound
揠苗助长
yàmiáozhùzhǎng
to spoil things by excessive enthusiasm; to try to help shoots grow by pulling them up
Characters in this word
苗 miáo
- Strokes
- 8
- Radical
- 艹 — grass, weed, plant, herb
- Made of
- 艹 grass, weed, plant, herb 田 field, farm, arable land
- How it's built
- Ideograph — the meaning is built from its parts
助 zhù
- Strokes
- 7
- Radical
- 力 — strength, power
- How it's built
- Phono-semantic — one part hints at the meaning, another at the sound
长 cháng
- Strokes
- 4
- Radical
- 长 — long, lasting
- How it's built
- Ideograph — the meaning is built from its parts
Example phrases
- 培养孩子的兴趣要有耐心，揠苗助长只会适得其反。 Péiyǎng háizi de xìngqù yào yǒu nàixīn, yàmiáozhùzhǎng zhǐhuì shìdéqífǎn. Cultivating a child's interest takes patience; forcing it unnaturally only backfires.
- 这个科研项目急不得，揠苗助长反而会拖慢进度。 Zhège kēyán xiàngmù jíbu de, yàmiáozhùzhǎng fǎn'ér huì tuōmàn jìndù. This research project cannot be rushed; forcing it along would actually slow down progress.
- 他急着让新店赚钱，结果揠苗助长，反而失去了老顾客。 Tā jízhe ràng xīndiàn zhuànqián, jiéguǒ yàmiáozhùzhǎng, fǎn'ér shīqù le lǎo gùkè. He was eager to make his new shop profitable, but his hastiness drove away regular customers.
Related words
- 禾苗 hémiáo grain seedlings; young cereal plants
- 苗 miáo seedling; young plant
- 苗条 miáotiao slim; slender
- 苗头 miáotou sign; indication; emerging tendency
- 疫苗 yìmiáo vaccine
- 帮助 bāngzhù to help; help
- 赞助 zànzhù to sponsor
- 辅助 fǔzhù to assist; supporting
- 助理 zhùlǐ assistant
- 助手 zhùshǒu helper; assistant
- 资助 zīzhù to support financially
- 互助 hùzhù mutual aid