邯郸学步
Hándānxuébù
公元前475年-公元221年的战国时期,燕国有个青年,他听说赵国都城邯郸的人走路姿势特别好看,于是这位年轻人决定瞒着家人去学习邯郸人走路的姿势。就这样,他来到了邯郸。迎面走来一个和他年龄相仿的人,看见那人走过,这位燕国的青年便跟在他后面开始模仿。那人迈左脚,燕国青年也迈左脚,那人迈右脚,燕国青年也迈右脚。然而,他一扭头又看到另一个中年人,他又觉得那人走路的姿势很好看,于是又跟着中年人学走路。后来他又看到一位妇女,又跟着学......。转眼好几个月过去了,燕国青年越学走路的姿势越不好看,不仅没学会邯郸人的走法,而且还把自己原来的走路姿势也忘了。这时,带来的钱也已经花光,他只好回家,可是他又忘了自己原来是怎样走路的。无奈,燕国青年只好在地上爬着回去了。
During the Warring States Period (475 - 221 BC), a young man from the State of Yan heard that in Handan, the capital of the State of Zhao, people's walking posture was graceful and elegant. The young man wanted to make his walking posture look better, so he decided to learn from the Handanners without telling his family. Then, he traveled a long way to Handan, where first he saw a young man walking towards him. After allowing him pass, the young man from Yan soon followed behind him, imitating his strides. When the young man of Handan took a step with his left foot, he took a step with his left foot. He then saw a middle-aged man and thought his posture attractive, too, so he followed and imitated him as well. After that, he imitated a woman's walking style.
But however he tried, he just couldn't walk the way the Handanners did. After a few months of learning, the young man had spent all the money he had brought. To make things worse, when he decided to give up and went home, he found he had forgotten his own way of walking. In the end, the young man had no choice but to crawl all the way back home.
词语注释:
邯郸:(hándān) n. a name of place in China
姿势:(zīshì) n. style; posture
模仿:(mófǎng) v. imitate; copy
无奈:(wúnài) adj. have no choice; cannot help but
意义:
邯郸学步: 本义是指在邯郸学习步法。比喻学习、模仿不成,反而失去了自己原有的长处、技能。
Its original meaning is to try to learn the Handan people's walking posture.People use this idiom to describe someone who imitates others blindly only to lose ones' own individuality, advantages and skills.
例句:
1. 学习知识要踏踏实实,不能邯郸学步,生搬硬套。
We should be conscientious and persevering in learning things and should not like 邯郸学步.
2. 我们做事得有自己的方法,不能邯郸学步。
We should have our only methods when doing things, and shouldn't be 邯郸学步.