守株待兔 (shǒu zhū dài tù)

Character breakdown

• 守 (shǒu) · 6 strokes

  Depicts a hand (寸) guarding a building (宀).

• 株 (zhū) · 10 strokes

  Phonosemantic compound. 木 represents the meaning and 朱 represents the sound. Originally written as 朱.

• 待 (dāi) · 9 strokes

  Phonosemantic compound. 彳 represents the meaning and 寺 represents the sound.

• 兔 (tù) · 8 strokes

  Pictograph of a rabbit.

Usage

成功不能靠守株待兔。

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

chéng gōng bù néng kào shǒu zhū dài tù 。