提要
出自《孟子．公孫丑上》的成語故事「揠苗助長」：有個農夫，嫌自己田裡的秧苗長得太慢，於是跳進田裡，把每一棵秧苗拉高，自以為聰明、得意洋洋。不久卻發現稻苗雖然長高，卻一棵棵低垂著，眼看著就要枯萎！一切事物都有自然的法則，如果心急破壞它的順序，到頭來反而適得其反。
Many of us know that a beautiful and colourful butterfly comes from an unappealing worm! Here is the story of a butterfly that was never able to live a life like a butterfly!
One day, a man saw a cocoon. He loved butterflies and had a craze for its wonderful combination of colours. In fact, he used to spend a lot of time around butterflies. He knew how a butterfly would struggle to transform from an ugly caterpillar into a beautiful one.
He saw a cocoon with tiny opening. It meant that the butterfly was trying to make its way to enjoy its world. He decided to sit over and watch how the butterfly would come out of the cocoon. He was watching the butterfly struggling to break the shell for several hours.
He spent almost more than 10 hours with the cocoon and the butterfly. The butterfly had been struggling very hard for hours to come out through the tiny opening. Unfortunately, even after continuous attempts for several hours, there was no progress. It seemed that the butterfly tried its best and could not give any more try.
The man, who had a passion and love for butterflies decided to help the butterfly. He got a pair of scissors and tweaked the cocoon to make larger opening for the butterfly and removed the remaining cocoon. The butterfly emerged without any struggle!
Unfortunately, the butterfly looked no longer beautiful and had a swollen body with small and withered wings.
The man was happy that he made the butterfly come out of the cocoon without any more struggles. He continued to watch the butterfly and he was quite eager to watch the butterfly fly with its beautiful wings.
He thought that at any time, the butterfly might expand the wings, shrink the body and the wings could support the body. Unfortunately, neither the wings expanded or enlarged nor the swollen body reduced.
Sadly, the butterfly just crawled around with withered wings and huge body. It was never able to fly all through its life.
Although the man did it with good intention, only going through the struggles the butterfly would have emerged like any other beautiful butterflies! The continuous effort from the butterfly to come out of its cocoon would let the fluid stored in the body convert into wings. Thus, the body would become lighter and smaller and the wings would be beautiful and large.
If we don't want to undergo any struggle, we won't be able to fly. Struggles make us shine!
解 說
很多人都知道，美麗多彩的蝴蝶原本是不起眼的毛毛蟲！這裡有一隻蝴蝶的故事，因為某種緣故，牠卻沒能讓自己的「人生」像其他蝴蝶那般多彩！
一天，有一個人看到了繭。他愛蝴蝶，有一股沉醉在奇妙色彩組合的狂熱。花了很多時間四處賞蝶的他知道，從醜陋的毛蟲掙扎變身成美麗蝴蝶的過程。
他看見繭有個細小開口。這意味著，蝴蝶試圖讓自己來到這世界享受「人生」。他決定坐下，看著蝴蝶如何走出繭，他看著蝴蝶掙扎破繭好幾個小時。
十多個小時過去了，雖蝴蝶已經辛苦掙扎了這麼久，不幸的是，雖然經過不斷的嘗試，卻沒有任何進展。看來，蝴蝶已竭盡全力，無法再嘗試了。
這名熱愛蝴蝶的男子，決定幫蝴蝶一把。他拿出一把剪刀，將繭剪了大開口，還順便除去剩餘的繭，蝴蝶不費力就離開了繭。
不幸的是，這樣的蝴蝶不再美麗，牠的身子浮腫，翅膀乾縮如同枯萎的花朵。
那「幫蝴蝶一把」的人倒是很高興，他讓蝴蝶毫不費力就離開了繭，繼續盯著那蝴蝶的他，很渴望能看蝴蝶翅膀變美麗然後飛給他看。
他一廂情願地認為，蝴蝶隨時可能擴展翅膀，浮腫的身體會收縮足以支撐展翅。遺憾的是，翅膀不曾展開或放大，身體的浮腫也沒有減少。
令人傷心地，蝴蝶只能用枯萎的翅膀拖著牠巨大的身軀移動。終其一生，也沒辦法飛那麼一下下 。
雖然這名男子立意良善，卻壞了蝴蝶的事。只有經歷掙扎的幼蟲，才能變為美麗的蝴蝶！持續的不斷努力想衝出繭時，能讓儲存在體內的液體蛻變成翅膀。經過此番「掙扎」，身體會變得更輕、更小，翅膀則變得美麗巨大。
如果取巧逃避紮實的「基本功」，我們不可能展翅飛翔。奮鬥，讓我們大放異彩！
Butterfly
〈Butterfly〉是瑪麗亞凱莉（Mariah Carey）第六張專輯收錄的作品，葛萊美獎、告示牌音樂獎、全美音樂獎等多項音樂大獎得主的瑪麗亞，也有「花蝴蝶」的封號。
When you love someone so deeply
They become your life
It's easy to succumb to overwhelming fears inside
Blindly I imaged I could
Keep you under glass
Now I understand to hold you
I must open my hands
And watch you rise
Spread your wings and prepare to fly
For you have become a butterfly
Fly abandonedly into the sun
If you should return to me
We truly were meant to be
So spread your wings and fly
I have learned that beauty
Has to flourish in the light
Wild horses run unbridled
Or their spirit dies
You have given me the courage
To be all that I can
And truly feel your heart will
Lead you back to me when you're
Ready to land
蝴蝶
當付出感情如此深
成為你全部的人生
很容易屈服於內心無比的恐懼
我盲目地想像我可以
讓你留在玻璃罩裡
現在我明白要留住你
必須張開雙手
看著你飛翔
展開你的翅膀，準備飛翔
因為你已經破繭成蝶
無拘無束飛向太陽
如果你還會為我回來
我們註定會在一起
所以，展開你的翅膀飛吧
我學會了美麗
光線中更顯炫目
讓野馬脫韁奔馳
否則會垂頭喪氣
你給了我勇氣
讓我盡己所能
而真實地感受，你的心
會帶領你回到我身邊，當你
準備降落時
WOW! 原來如此
unappealing
「appeal」有「吸引、迎合喜好」的意思，例如：This idea appealed to Alice.（這個主意正合愛麗絲的心意。）
加了否定字首un的「unappealing」，想當然就是「不具吸引力」的意思，例如：
These video games have lost their appeal for most kids.（對大部分孩子來說，這些電玩遊戲已經失去了吸引力。）
There was an unappealing film of slime on top of the pond.（池塘表面有一層黏膩膩、讓人避之唯恐不及的汙泥。）
craze
「craze」是（一時的）狂熱，例如：
Flower-arranging has become a great craze in Tokyo.（插花已在東京成為時尚。）
The bicycle craze has waned.（自行車熱潮已消退了。）
Alice has got a new craze.（愛麗絲已經迷上了一個新玩意兒。）
withered
「withered」是乾枯的，例如：
The summer heat withered up certain plants.（高溫酷熱使某些植物乾枯萎縮。）
The flowers withered in the cold.（花朵在嚴寒中凋謝。）
His fridge was bare apart from one withered banana.（除了一根乾癟發黑的香蕉，他的冰箱幾乎空空如也。）