# 愚公移山

yú gōng yí shān

Persist through an enormous challenge

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** The old man Yu moves mountains

**Register:** Admiring · literary

[Effort & growth](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/effort)

## When to use it

Use to praise determination on a difficult, long-term task.

It is a grand metaphor; it can sound exaggerated for a small chore.

## Behind the words

A traditional tale in Liezi follows an old man determined to remove mountains blocking his home. Persistence across generations is the story’s central idea.

The traditional account dramatizes a task that appears too large for one lifetime. Its modern appeal lies in patient collective effort and a refusal to be discouraged by scale. It can praise long projects whose benefits extend beyond the individual doing the work. The story's extraordinary ending should not be treated as a practical guarantee that determination removes every physical or structural obstacle.

## Examples

改善这条河的环境，需要愚公移山的精神。

### Traditional Chinese

改善這條河的環境，需要愚公移山的精神。

gǎi shàn zhè tiáo hé de huán jìng ， xū yào yú gōng yí shān de jīng shén 。

Restoring this river will take extraordinary persistence.

改造这片荒地，需要愚公移山的毅力。

### Traditional Chinese

改造這片荒地，需要愚公移山的毅力。

gǎi zào zhè piàn huāng dì ， xū yào yú gōng yí shān de yì lì 。

Turning this wasteland into usable ground takes extraordinary persistence.

社区用了十年清理河道，靠的就是愚公移山的精神。

### Traditional Chinese

社區用了十年清理河道，靠的就是愚公移山的精神。

shè qū yòng le shí nián qīng lǐ hé dào ， kào de jiù shì yú gōng yí shān de jīng shén 。

The community spent ten years cleaning the river, sustained by determined persistence.

他愿意一点一点完成这个庞大的项目，像愚公移山一样坚持。

### Traditional Chinese

他願意一點一點完成這個龐大的項目，像愚公移山一樣堅持。

tā yuàn yì yì diǎn yi diǎn wán chéng zhè ge páng dà de xiàng mù ， xiàng yú gōng yí shān yí yàng jiān chí 。

He is willing to finish the enormous project bit by bit with unwavering determination.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 4, 2026.

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=267&q=1&webMd=1&la=0)

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E6%84%9A%E5%85%AC%E7%A7%BB%E5%B1%B1)

## Keep exploring

- [余音绕梁 yú yīn rào liáng A beautiful sound seems to linger ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/yu-yin-rao-liang)

- [跃跃欲试 yuè yuè yù shì Be eager to give something a try ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/yue-yue-yu-shi)

- [再接再厉 zài jiē zài lì Keep making renewed efforts ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/zai-jie-zai-li)

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