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守株待兔

Mandarin · pinyin shǒu zhū dài tù

lit. to guard a tree-stump, waiting for rabbits (idiom)
to wait idly for opportunities
to trust to chance rather than show initiative

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Characters in this entry

守: shǒu · defend, protect, guard, conserve
株: zhū · numerary adjunct for trees; root
待: dài · treat, entertain, receive; wait
兔: tù · rabbit, hare

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

3–1–4–4 · shou3 zhu1 dai4 tu4

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 3 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

sau2 zyu1 doi6 tou3

Cantonese word readings for 守株待兔. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(figurative, derogatory) to be conservative; to resist change and innovation
(figurative) to sit around and wait
(figurative) to ambush

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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