In the Spring and Autumn Period, a farmer in the State of Song was one day working in the fields when he saw a rabbit bump into a tree stump(树桩) accidentally and break its neck.

The farmer took the rabbit home, and cooked himself a delicious meal.

That night he thought, 'I needn't work so hard.

All I have to do is wait for a rabbit each day by the stump.

' So from then on he gave up farming, and simply sat by the stump waiting for rabbits to come and run into it.

　　This idiom satirizes(讽刺，挖苦) those who just wait for a stroke of luck, rather than making efforts to obtain what they need.

　　守株待兔　　宋国有个农夫正在田里翻土。

突然，他看见有一只野兔从旁边的草丛里慌慌张张地窜出来，一头撞在田边的树墩子上，便倒在那儿一动也不动了。

农民走过去一看：兔子死了。

因为它奔跑的速度太快，把脖子都撞折(shé)了。

农民高兴极了，他一点力气没花，就白捡了一只又肥又大的野兔。

他心想;要是天天都能捡到野兔，日子就好过了。

从此，他再也不肯出力气种地了。

每天，他把锄头放在身边，就躺在树墩子跟前，等待着第二只、第三只野兔自己撞到这树墩子上来。

世上哪有那么多便宜事啊。

农民当然没有再捡到撞死的野兔，而他的田地却荒芜了。

　　这个成语用来讽刺那些坐等机遇的人，而不是通过努力而获取他们的所需。

【中国成语故事中英对照 守株待兔查看网站：[db:时间]】