两兩千千年年以前以前,有有一一个個燕国燕國人人,他他没沒有有自信自信,常常常常觉得覺得什么什麼都都比比别人別人差差——别人別人的的衣服衣服更更好好看看,别人別人的的饭飯菜菜更更好好吃吃,别人別人站站的的样子樣子坐坐的的样子樣子更更高雅高雅。他他看见看見什么什麼学學什么什麼,学习學習了了很很多多东西東西,但是但是一一件件事事都都做做不不好好。
他他甚至甚至觉得覺得自己自己走路走路的的样子樣子太太丑醜了了,别別人人都都在在笑笑他他。
他他听说聽說邯郸邯鄲人人走路走路的的样子樣子很很美美。
邯郸邯鄲人人走路走路的的样子樣子有有多多美美呢呢?他他不不知道知道。这是這是他他的的心心病病,然后然後他他就就去去邯郸邯鄲学习學習走路走路了了!
到到了了邯郸邯鄲,他他觉得覺得真真有有意思意思。看见看見小孩小孩走路走路活泼活潑,他他学學;看见看見老老人人走路走路高雅高雅,他他学學;看见看見女人女人走路走路美美,他他也也学學。不不到到半半个個月月,他他就就忘忘了了自己自己以前以前是是怎么怎麼走路走路的的,钱錢也也用用完完了了,只只能能爬爬着著回去回去了了。
邯郸学步邯鄲學步,意思意思是是只只学习學習别人別人,没沒有有学學到到别人別人好好的的东西東西,又又忘忘了了自己自己的的优点優點。这是這是《庄子莊子》里裡的的故事故事。
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Better translation:
Two thousand years ago, there was a man from Yan State. He had no self-confidence and always felt that he was inferior to others in everything – other people’s clothes were better looking, other people’s food was more delicious, and other people’s posture was more elegant. He learned everything he saw, and learned a lot of things, but he couldn’t do anything well.
He even felt that the way he walked was too ugly, and others were laughing at him.
He heard that the way people in Handan walked was beautiful.
How beautiful was the way people in Handan walked? He didn’t know. It was a concern for him, so he went to Handan to learn how to walk!
When he arrived in Handan, he thought it was really interesting. He learned to walk lively from looking at children; he learned to walk elegantly from looking at old people; he learned to walk beautifully from looking at women. In less than two weeks, he had forgotten how he used to walk, and he had run out of money, so he could only crawl back home.
”hán dān xué bù” (learning to walk in Handan) means that by only studying others, not only you don’t learn good things from others, but you also forget your own advantages. This is a story in “Zhuangzi”.