# 守株待兔
## Chinese

| | | to guard | (a measure word, use with plants); trunk of tree | wait; treat; deal withwait; treat; deal with; need; about; intending to do something; stay; delay | rabbit |
| trad. (守株待兔) | trad. (守株待兔) | 守 | 株 | 待 | 兔 |
| simp. $^#$(守株待兔) | simp. $^#$(守株待兔) | 守 | 株 | 待 | 兔 |
| Literally: “to watch a tree stump waiting for a rabbit”. ||||||

### Etymology

Based on a story in Han Feizi:
    宋人有耕田者，田中有株，兔走觸株，折頸而死。因釋其耒而守株，冀復得兔，兔不可復得，而身為宋國笑。今欲以先王之政，治當世之民，皆守株之類也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]宋人有耕田者，田中有株，兔走触株，折颈而死。因释其耒而守株，冀复得兔，兔不可复得，而身为宋国笑。今欲以先王之政，治当世之民，皆守株之类也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]From: Han Feizi, circa 2nd century BCE, translation from Han Feizi: Basic Writings (2012) by Burton WatsonSòng rén yǒu gēngtián zhě, tián zhōng yǒu zhū, tù zǒu chù zhū, zhé jǐng ér sǐ. Yīn shì qí lěi ér shǒu zhū, jì fù dé tù, tù bùkě fù dé, ér shēn wéi Sòng guó xiào. Jīn yù yǐ xiānwáng zhī zhèng, zhì dāngshì zhī mín, jiē shǒu zhū zhī lèi yě. [Pinyin]There was a farmer of Song who tilled the land, and in his field was a stump. One day a rabbit, racing across the field, bumped into the stump, broke its neck, and died. Thereupon the farmer laid aside his plow and took up watching the stump, hoping that he will get another rabbit in the same way. But he got no rabbits, and instead becoming the laughing stock of Song. Those who think they can take the ways of the ancient kings and use them to govern the people today all belong in the category of stump-watchers!

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): shǒuzhūdàitù
    (Zhuyin): ㄕㄡˇ ㄓㄨ ㄉㄞˋ ㄊㄨˋ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): sau$^2$ zyu$^1$ doi$^6$ tou$^3$
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): siú-chu-thāi-thò͘
    (Teochew, Peng'im): siu$^2$ du$^1$ tai$^6$ tou$^3$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: shǒuzhūdàitù
*** Zhuyin: ㄕㄡˇ ㄓㄨ ㄉㄞˋ ㄊㄨˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: shǒujhudàitù
*** Wade–Giles: shou$^3$-chu$^1$-tai$^4$-tʻu$^4$
*** Yale: shǒu-jū-dài-tù
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shooujudaytuh
*** Palladius: шоучжудайту (šoučžudajtu)
*** Sinological IPA : /ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂu⁵⁵ taɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ tʰu⁵¹/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: sau$^2$ zyu$^1$ doi$^6$ tou$^3$
*** Yale: sáu jyū doih tou
*** Cantonese Pinyin: sau$^2$ dzy$^1$ doi$^6$ tou$^3$
*** Guangdong Romanization: seo$^2$ ju$^1$ doi$^6$ tou$^3$
*** Sinological IPA : /sɐu̯³⁵ t͡syː⁵⁵ tɔːi̯²² tʰou̯³³/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: siú-chu-thāi-thò͘
*** Tâi-lô: siú-tsu-thāi-thòo
*** Phofsit Daibuun: siwzu'taixtox
*** IPA (Xiamen): /siu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡su⁴⁴⁻²² tʰai²²⁻²¹ tʰɔ²¹/
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /siu⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ t͡su³³ tʰai⁴¹⁻²² tʰɔ⁴¹/
*** IPA (Zhangzhou): /siu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡su⁴⁴⁻²² tʰai²²⁻²¹ tʰɔ²¹/
*** IPA (Taipei): /siu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡su⁴⁴⁻³³ tʰai³³⁻¹¹ tʰɔ¹¹/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /siu⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ t͡su⁴⁴⁻³³ tʰai³³⁻²¹ tʰɔ²¹/
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: siu$^2$ du$^1$ tai$^6$ tou$^3$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: siú tu thăi thòu
*** Sinological IPA : /siu⁵²⁻³⁵ tu³³⁻²³ tʰai³⁵⁻¹¹ tʰou²¹³/
* Middle Chinese: syuwX trju dojX thuH
Rime :
| Character | 守 | 株 | 待 | 兔 |
| Reading # | 1/2 | 1/1 | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 書 (26) | 知 (9) | 定 (7) | 透 (6) |
| Final (韻) | 尤 (136) | 虞 (24) | 咍 (41) | 模 (23) |
| Tone (調) | Rising (X) | Level (Ø) | Rising (X) | Departing (H) |
| Openness (開合) | Open | Closed | Open | Open |
| Division (等) | III | III | I | I |
| Fanqie | 書九切 | 陟輸切 | 徒亥切 | 湯故切 |
| Baxter | syuwX | trju | dojX | thuH |
| Reconstructions |||||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /ɕɨu$^X$/ | /ʈɨo/ | /dʌi$^X$/ | /tʰuo$^H$/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /ɕiu$^X$/ | /ʈio/ | /dəi$^X$/ | /tʰuo$^H$/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /ɕiəu$^X$/ | /ȶio/ | /dɒi$^X$/ | /tʰo$^H$/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /ɕuw$^X$/ | /ʈuə̆/ | /dəj$^X$/ | /tʰɔ$^H$/ |
| Li Rong | /ɕiu$^X$/ | /ȶio/ | /dᴀi$^X$/ | /tʰo$^H$/ |
| Wang Li | /ɕĭəu$^X$/ | /ȶĭu/ | /dɒi$^X$/ | /tʰu$^H$/ |
| Bernard Karlgren | /ɕi̯ə̯u$^X$/ | /ȶi̯u/ | /dʱɑ̆i$^X$/ | /tʰuo$^H$/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | shǒu | zhū | dài | tù |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | sau$^2$ | zyu$^1$ | doi$^6$ | tou$^3$ |

### Idiom

守株待兔
* (figurative, derogatory) to be conservative; to resist change and innovation
       Sīxiǎng bùnéng tài bǎoshǒu, shǒuzhūdàitù shì bùhuì yǒu shōuhuò de. [Pinyin]
       Don't be too conservative. Sticking to old doctrines is futile.
* (figurative) to sit around and wait
       Jīnróng jiānguǎn bùnéng shǒuzhūdàitù. [Pinyin]
       The government should not just wait for problems to come up when handling financial regulation.
* (figurative) to ambush
       Mínjǐng shǒuzhūdàitù jiāng xiányírén zhuāhuò. [Pinyin]
       The police arrested the suspect after waiting and hiding there.

#### Descendants

* → Japanese: 株(くいぜ)を守(まも)る (kuize o mamoru)
* → Korean: 수주대토(守株待兎) (sujudaeto)
* → Vietnamese: thủ chu đãi thố (守株待兔)