揠苗助长

揠苗助长 [yà miáo zhù zhǎng]

1. ■ try to help the shoots grow by pulling them upward; be over-anxious to have sth. grow up; do harm to a thing by being over-enthusiastic (about it); help [try to make] the rice shoots grow; pull up a corn by the roots in the hope of making it grow faster; pull up a seedling in the mistaken hope of helping it to grow; pull up seedlings to help them grow -- no profit but harm; pull up the sapling to make it grow more quickly -- spoil things by excessive enthusiasm; tug at a sapling to help it grow