Chinese word

愚公移山

Pronunciation

Pinyinyú gōng yí shān

Meaning

  • idiomdetermination

Example

他用愚公移山的精神完成了不可能的任务。tā yòng yú gōng yí shān de jīng shén wán chéng le bù kě néng de rèn wù

He completed an impossible task with determination.

Illustration for 愚公移山 (determination)

More examples

面对艰巨的工程，他们像愚公移山那样日复一日地努力。miàn duì jiān jù de gōng chéng tā men xiàng yú gōng yí shān nà yàng rì fù yí rì dì nǔ lì

Facing a difficult project, they kept working hard day after day like Yu Gong moving mountains.

Core concept

Persistence treats even a huge barrier as a series of tasks rather than a reason to stop.

Common phrases

  • 以愚公移山为榜样yǐ yú gōng yí shān wèi bǎng yàng

    follow Yu Gong's example

  • 像愚公移山那样坚持xiàng yú gōng yí shān nà yàng jiān chí

    keep going like Yu Gong

Similar words

坚持不懈jiān chí bú xiè: Keeping up determined effort over time without giving up.
不屈不挠bù qū bù náo: Remaining strong and unyielding when facing hardship.
锲而不舍qiè ér bù shě: Sticking firmly to a task and continuing until it is finished.
孜孜不倦zī zī bú juàn: Working or studying eagerly and steadily without tiring or slacking.

Definition in Chinese

指在面对看似无法克服的阻碍时仍持续行动，以坚忍和恒心追求目标的态度。zhǐ zài miàn duì kàn sì wú fǎ kè fú de zǔ ài shí réng chí xù xíng dòng yǐ jiān rěn hé héng xīn zhuī qiú mù biāo de tài dù

Word origin

愚公移山 (yúgōngyíshān, "the Foolish Old Man moves mountains") comes from a Liezi story about Yu Gong's family removing a mountain day after day.

Usage tips

  • In everyday speech, the idiom can praise a person, a team, or a long project, with a tone that ranges from admiring to gently ironic when the goal seems unrealistic.

Other meanings

  • persistenceidiom

Opposites

  • 畏缩不前wèi suō bù qiánshrink back and stop moving forwardidiom

Word lists with this word