bat6 miu4 zo6 zoeng2拔苗助長拔苗助长
Jyutpingbat6 miu4 zo6 zoeng2
Yalebaht mìuh joh jéung
Definition
To spoil things by excessive eagerness for quick success; to pull up shoots to help them grow.
writtenschoolother
How it's used
This idiom is frequently used in discussions about parenting, education, and business management to criticize impatient strategies. It carries a strong sense of irony, highlighting how good intentions often lead to disastrous results when natural processes are ignored. It serves as a cautionary reminder that forced growth is usually unsustainable.
Examples
Education cannot be rushed; you have to give children time to grow.
Related words
Common phrases
must avoid being overly impatient
leads to counterproductive results
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a positive term meaning to help someone succeed quickly, but it is strictly used to describe a failure caused by impatience and poor judgment.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
