spare the rod and spoil the child

英语

中世纪时的孩子被用木棍抽屁股

词源

字面意思为“省了棍子，惯坏了孩子”。

广泛认为源自：

• 钦定版圣经，《箴言》，13:24

  “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.”

由于“惯坏”这个概念不存在于《圣经》内，其可能源自：

• 塞缪尔·巴特勒于17世纪所作的一首叫做《Hudibras》的诗歌。诗人在诗中将爱情比作孩子，而打屁股被笑称为可以让爱情更加强大。诗歌原文为：

  “What medicine else can cure the fits
  

  Of lovers when they lose their wits?
  

  Love is a boy by poets styled
  

  Then spare the rod and spoil the child.”

谚语

spare the rod and spoil the child

1. 小孩不打不成器；玉不琢不成器；棍棒底下出孝子

参见

• give him enough rope and he'll hang himself