Chinese idiom-邯郸学步 hán dān xué bù

The story of “Imitating the Walk in Handan” originates from ancient China and tells of a young man from Shouling in the State of Yan during the Warring States period. Envious of the elegant gait of the people in the capital of Handan, Zhao State, he decided to travel there to learn. However, his blind imitation not only failed to teach him the graceful walk of the people of Handan, but also left him forgetting how to walk in his original manner, ultimately forcing him to crawl back to Yan.

The story is recorded in the “History of the Han Dynasty” by Ban Gu of the Eastern Han Dynasty. The young man traveled to Handan, eager to learn. He followed the pedestrians closely, mimicking their every step. But due to his eagerness and blindness, he could never grasp the essence of the Handanese walk and instead, his gait became even more awkward.

Thinking that there was something wrong with his own way of walking, the young man decided to start from scratch. He practiced diligently for three months, neglecting sleep and meals, but still failed to master the graceful gait of Handan. Worse still, he forgot how to walk in his original manner. In the end, he was completely unsure of how to walk and had to crawl back to Yan.

This story teaches us that when learning from others’ strengths, we should consider our own实际情况 (actual situation) and avoid blind imitation. Merely mimicking others without understanding their essence can not only fail to achieve the desired results but also lose our own uniqueness. At the same time, it emphasizes the importance and method of learning. We should focus on discovering and enhancing our own strengths and abilities rather than blindly pursuing others’ success models.