Yu Gong Moving Mountains
The story of "Yu Gong Moving Mountains" is a ancient fable from the book Liezi. According to legend, an old man named Yu Gong lived at the foot of two great mountains in the north. The mountains blocked the way for him and his family. At the age of ninety, Yu Gong decided to lead his sons and grandsons in an attempt to remove the mountains. An old man named Zhi Sou ridiculed Yu Gong and his family, saying that it was foolish to attempt to move such large mountains with only a few people. Yu Gong replied, "Although I am old and will die, I have sons and grandsons who will continue the work, and their sons and grandsons will do the same. The mountains, on the other hand, will not grow any taller, and as we dig away a little bit at a time, why shouldn't we be able to remove them?"
Spring passed and autumn arrived, but Yu Gong's determination remained unwavering. His persistence moved the Heavenly Emperor, who sent two gods down to the earth to carry the mountains away, helping Yu Gong to realize his dream of a clear path through the mountains.
The story of Yu Gong is one about confidence and perseverance of the working people of ancient China and embodies the spirit of the Chinese nation to forge ahead in the face of difficulties and strive for success through hard work. For thousands of years, this story has circulated widely, and the spirit of Yu Gong removing the mountains has become an important symbol of traditional Chinese culture.
愚公移山
愚公移山是出自《列子》的古代寓言故事。相傳北山山下住著一位名叫愚公的老人。他的家門南面有兩座大山擋住了出路。在年已九十歲時(shí),愚公下決心率領(lǐng)他的兒孫們上山,鑿石挖土,想要挖走這兩座大山。有個(gè)名叫智叟的老人譏笑愚公一家這樣干太愚蠢了,認(rèn)為僅憑愚公父子幾人要挖掉這兩座大山是完全不可能的。愚公回答說:“我雖然老了,但我死后有我的兒子,還有孫子,子子孫孫是沒有窮盡的。而這兩座山卻不會(huì)再增高了,挖一點(diǎn)就會(huì)少一點(diǎn),怎么會(huì)挖不平呢?”春去秋來,愚公移山的意志不變,日夜搬山不止。愚公的堅(jiān)持感動(dòng)了天帝,他派兩個(gè)神仙下凡,背走了那兩座山,幫助愚公實(shí)現(xiàn)了移山通路的理想。
愚公移山的故事,反映了中國古代勞動(dòng)人民的信心和毅力,體現(xiàn)了中華民族知難而進(jìn)、艱苦奮斗的精神。千百年來,愚公移山的故事廣為流傳,愚公移山精神成為中華優(yōu)秀傳統(tǒng)文化的重要標(biāo)識(shí)。