In the past, there was a farmer in the State of Song. There stood a big tree in the field he cultivated. One day, while working in the field, he suddenly saw a hare running by in front of him. The bare bumped against the big tree, broke its neck and died under the tree.

　　從前，宋國(guó)有一個(gè)農(nóng)夫。在他耕種的田地里，有一棵很大的樹(shù)。一天，他正在田里耕作，突然看見(jiàn)一只兔子在他面前飛奔而過(guò)，正好撞在那棵大樹(shù)上，撞斷脖子死在了樹(shù)下。

　　Without any effort, the farmer happily enjoyed a meal of bare meat. He was very pleased and thought how nice it would be if every day were like this.

　　農(nóng)夫沒(méi)花多少氣力，就美滋滋地吃了一頓兔肉，心里非常高興。他想，要是天天這樣，該多好啊!

　　Thereupon, he no longer cultivated his land, but watched by that tree and waited for the chance to pick up another hare which knocked itself dead against the tree.

　　于是，他不再耕地了，每天守候在那棵樹(shù)旁，等待著能再撿到一只撞死在樹(shù)上的兔子。

　　He waited and waited and watched. His field lay waste, but he never got a second hare. The people in the village laughed at him for taking the accidental for the inevitable.

　　等呀等，守呀守，田地也荒蕪了，卻再也沒(méi)有守到第二只兔子;鄉(xiāng)里的人都暗暗地笑他把偶然當(dāng)成了必然。