Learning to Walk in Handan
邯郸学步
During the Warring States period, a young man in the State of Yan8always felt that he was not so perfect as he thought.
战国时期,燕国有个青年人,总觉得自己不是想象中的那么完美。
One day, he heard that people in Handan had a beautiful way of walking, so he decided to learn how to do it.
一天,他听说邯郸人走路的姿势很优美,就决定学一学。
He was surprised when he arrived there. Everyone walked in a different but graceful way. Children walked actively, the old walked steadily and women walked charmingly. So he began to imitate their walking at once.
当他到达那里时,他很惊讶地发现大家走路姿势各不相同,但是都非常优美:孩子们走路活泼,老年人走路稳健,女子走路迷人多姿。于是,他便开始模仿他们走路的样子。
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But it was easier said than done. No matter how hard he tried, he was unable to learn the gait of the people there. He even forgot completely how he walked before. Finally, he had no choice but to crawl back to his hometown.
但说起来容易做起来难。不管他怎么努力,就是学不会那里的人的步法。他甚至完全忘记了自己以前是怎么走的。最后,他只能爬回了家。
成语出处
且子独不闻夫寿陵馀子之学行于邯郸与?未得国能,又失其故行矣,直匍匐而归耳。(出自《庄子·秋水》)
邯郸学步,也作“学步邯郸”。比喻一味模仿别人,非但没有学到别人的长处,反倒失去了自身的特色。