空中楼阁

空中楼阁

从前有个富翁，愚蠢无知。有一次，他到另一个富翁的家里，看见一座三层的楼房，楼又高又大，富丽堂皇，宽敞明朗，他十分羡慕，心里想：“我的钱财并不比他少，为什么以前没想到造一座这样的楼呢？”他立刻唤来木匠，问道：“你能不能照着那家的样子造一座漂亮的楼？”木匠回答说：“那座楼就是我造的。”富翁便说：“那你现在就为我造一座像那样的楼。” 于是木匠便开始量地基，叠砖，造楼。富翁看见木匠叠砖，心生疑惑，不晓得是怎么一回事，就问木匠：“你这是打算造什么？”木匠回答道：“造三层的楼呀！”富翁又说：“我不要下面二层，你先给我造最上一层。”
木匠答道：“没这样的事！哪有不造最下一层楼而造第二层楼的？不造第二层楼又怎么谈得上造第三层楼呢？” 这个愚蠢的富翁固执地说：“我就是不要下面二层楼，你一定得给我造最上一层楼！”

A Castle in the Air

A rich man asked an architect to build a three-story house for him. When the first story was finished, the rich man said to the architect: "I want only the third story; not the first and second stories." The architect asked, "But without the first and second stories, how can I build the third story?" Shaking his head, he packed up his things, and left.

This idiom indicates an unrealistic or impractical plan or theory.