相传在两千年前，燕国寿陵地方有一位少年，不了解姓什么叫什么，就叫他寿陵少年吧！
这位寿陵少年不愁吃不愁穿，论长相也算得上中等人材，可他就是缺少自信心，常常无缘无故地感到每件事不如人，低人一等衣服是人家的好，饭菜是人家的香，站相坐相也是人家优雅。他见什么学什么，学一样丢一样，虽然花样翻新，却一直不可以做好一件事，不了解自己该是什么样子。
家的人劝他改一改这个问题，他以为是家人管得太多。亲戚、邻居们，说他是狗熊掰棒子，他也根本听不进来。日久天长，他竟怀疑自己是否应该如此走路，越看越感觉自己走路的姿势太笨，太丑了。
有一天，他在路上碰到几个人说说笑笑，只听得有人说邯郸人走路姿势那叫美。他一听，对上了心病，急忙走上前去，想打听个了解。不料想，那几个人看见他，一阵大笑之后扬长而去。
邯郸人走路的姿势到底如何美呢？他如何也想象不出来。这成了他的心病。终于有一天，他瞒着家人，跑到遥远的邯郸学走路去了。
一到邯郸，他感到处处新鲜，简直让人眼花缭乱。看到孩子走路，他感觉活泼、美，学；看见老人走路，他感觉稳重，学；看到妇女走路，摇摆多姿，学。就如此，不过半月光景，他连走路也不会了，路费也花光了，只好爬着回去了。
故事源于《庄子秋水》。成语邯郸学步，比喻生搬硬套，机械地模仿其他人，不但学不到其他人的长处，反而会把我们的优点和本领也扔掉。
Imitating Another without Success and Losing What Used to Be One'sOwn Ability
Tradition has it that more than 2,oooyears ago,there lived a young man in the Shouling area of the State of Yan.As his name is not known ,we just call him Shouling young man for convenience's sake.
self confident He was at a loss as to how to behave all the time.
His family members advised him to overcome this shortcoming,but he thought they were fond of poking1 their noses into his business and were unwilling2 to provide him with tuition fee.His relatives and neighbours sneered3 at him,saying that he would never be able to learn anything.Asthe days went by,he even began to doubt whether he should walk the way he did,for he felt more and more that his walking gestures were too clumsy and awkward.
One day,he met some people on the road who werechattingand laughing.One of themsaid that people in Handan walked most gracefully4.And thatwas just what he was most concerned about,so he hurreed towards themand wanted to make further inquiries5.To his surprise,when these people saw him,they stalked off laughing.
He could not picture to himself in what way their walking gestures were graceful,no matter how hard he racked his parents one day.He went to Handanwhich was far away to learn how to walk.
As soon as he arrived in Handan,he was dazzled to find that everything was novel.He learned from the children there how to walk,because he thought that the children's walking gestures were lively and pleasing to the eye.He learnd from the old people there how to walk,because he thought the old people's walking gestures were steady .He learnd from the women there how to walk,because he thought the women' swaying walking gestures were beautiful.That being the case with him ,in less than half a month he even forgot how to walk.As he had already used up his traveling expenses,he had to crawl back home.
Thisstory come from the articleAutumn Waterin The Works of Xhuang Zi.Later the set phraseinitating another without success and losing what used to be one's own abilityis used to refer to acts of copying others mechanisally in disregard of specififc conditions.
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