守株待兔
Shǒuzhū-dàitù   

       春秋时期，宋国有个农夫，他的地里有棵树桩。有一天，他在地里干活的时候，看见一只奔跑的兔子撞上了树桩，撞折了脖子死掉了。农夫很高兴，心想：如果每天都有一只兔子撞死，卖兔子肉赚钱，自己就不用在地里干活了！于是他放下锄头，天天坐在树桩旁等候，希望再捡到撞死的兔子。可是，时间一天天过去，再也没有一只兔子撞死在树上。农民这才想起他的田地，可是他的地已经荒芜了。

Stand by a Tree Stump Waiting for a Hare -- One Who Sticks to His Folly and Does Nothing

In the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a farmer in the State of Song. In his field there was a tree stump and one day, when he was working in the field he saw a rabbit bump into the stump accidentally and broke its neck and died. The farmer was overjoyed at the unexpected gain. He thought, "How wonderful! Game comes by so easily! I'm tired of farming under the hot sun. I can make money from selling the rabbits."
Therefore the farmer threw his hoe back in the storeroom and sat beside the stump; indulging himself in the fantasy that other rabbits would come along and do the same thing. He waited and waited but no more rabbit came by. Many days passed before the farmer thought of his field again, by which time the field was overgrown with weeds.

词语注释：

树桩（shùzhuāng）n.: stump

农夫(nóngfū) n.: farmer

撞上(zhuàngshang) v.: bump into

折(shé) v.: break

锄头(chútou) n.: hoe

等候(děnghòu) v.: wait for

希望(xīwàng) v.: hope

田地(tiándì) n.: field

荒芜(huāngwú) v.: abandon

意义：

守株待兔：本义是守着树桩等着兔子往上撞。原本讽刺只按照老经验办事，后比喻不主动努力争取，等待偶然的机会，意外的收获的侥幸心理。
Its original meaning is to stand by a tree stump waiting for a rabbit to dash itself against it. This is to satirize those doing things according to their experience. Later it's used as a simile, meaning not to strive for success but to wait for it to happen, pinning hopes on chance and luck.

例句：

• waiting [´weitiŋ]   n.等候；伺候   (初中英语单词)
• working [´wə:kiŋ]   a.工人的；劳动的   (初中英语单词)
• rabbit [´ræbit]   n.兔子，野兔   (初中英语单词)
• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:]   ad.&conj.因此；所以   (初中英语单词)
• unexpected [ʌniks´pektid]   a.突然的；意外的   (高中英语单词)
• strive [straiv]   vi.争取；努力；奋斗   (高中英语单词)
• accidentally [,æksi´dentəli]   ad.偶然地   (英语六级单词)
• fantasy [´fæntəsi]   n.幻想(曲)，想象   (英语六级单词)