愚公移山 The Foolish Old Man moves the mountains

太行、王屋二山，方七百里，高万仞，本在冀州之南，河阳之北。 tài háng, wáng wū èr shān, fāng qī bǎi lǐ, gāo wàn rèn, běn zài jì zhōu zhī nán, hé yáng zhī běi.
The two mountains Taihang and Wangwu extended seven hundred li across and rose ten thousand ren high. They originally stood south of Jizhou and north of Heyang.

北山愚公者，年且九十，面山而居。 běi shān yú gōng zhě, nián qiě jiǔ shí, miàn shān ér jū.
The Foolish Old Man of the northern mountain was nearly ninety and lived facing the mountains.

惩山北之塞，出入之迂也，聚室而谋曰：“吾与汝毕力平险，指通豫南，达于汉阴，可乎？” chéng shān běi zhī sè, chū rù zhī yū yě, jù shì ér móu yuē: “wú yǔ rǔ bì lì píng xiǎn, zhǐ tōng yù nán, dá yú hàn yīn, kě hū?”
Troubled by the blocked route north of the mountains and the detour needed to come and go, he gathered his household and proposed, “Shall you and I put all our strength into levelling these heights, opening a direct route to southern Yu and reaching the south bank of the Han?”

杂然相许。 zá rán xiāng xǔ.
They all agreed, speaking at once.

其妻献疑曰：“以君之力，曾不能损魁父之丘，如太行、王屋何？且焉置土石？” qí qī xiàn yí yuē: “yǐ jūn zhī lì, zēng bù néng sǔn kuí fǔ zhī qiū, rú tài háng, wáng wū hé? qiě yān zhì tǔ shí?”
His wife raised a doubt: “With your strength, you could not even reduce the hill of Kuifu. What could you do to Taihang and Wangwu? And where would you put the earth and stones?”

杂曰：“投诸渤海之尾，隐土之北。” zá yuē: “tóu zhū bó hǎi zhī wěi, yǐn tǔ zhī běi.”
They answered together, “Dump it at the far end of the Bohai Sea, north of Yintu.”

遂率子孙荷担者三夫，叩石垦壤，箕畚运于渤海之尾。 suì shuài zǐ sūn hè dàn zhě sān fū, kòu shí kěn rǎng, jī běn yùn yú bó hǎi zhī wěi.
He then led three sons and grandsons capable of carrying loads, breaking stones and digging earth, which they transported in baskets to the far end of the Bohai Sea.

邻人京城氏之孀妻有遗男，始龀，跳往助之。 lín rén jīng chéng shì zhī shuāng qī yǒu yí nán, shǐ chèn, tiào wǎng zhù zhī.
A widowed neighbour of the Jingcheng family had a son born after his father’s death who had just begun to lose his milk teeth. He skipped over to help.

寒暑易节，始一反焉。 hán shǔ yì jié, shǐ yī fǎn yān.
Only after winter and summer had come round, a whole year, did they complete one round trip.

河曲智叟笑而止之曰：“甚矣，汝之不惠！以残年余力，曾不能毁山之一毛，其如土石何？” hé qū zhì sǒu xiào ér zhǐ zhī yuē: “shèn yǐ, rǔ zhī bù huì! yǐ cán nián yú lì, zēng bù néng huǐ shān zhī yī máo, qí rú tǔ shí hé?”
The Wise Old Man of Hequ laughed and tried to stop him: “How very foolish you are! With the years and strength you have left, you cannot even remove a single patch of growth from the mountain. What can you do about earth and stones?”

北山愚公长息曰：“汝心之固，固不可彻，曾不若孀妻弱子。 běi shān yú gōng cháng xī yuē: “rǔ xīn zhī gù, gù bù kě chè, zēng bù ruò shuāng qī ruò zǐ.
The Foolish Old Man of the northern mountain sighed deeply: “Your mind is so stubborn that it cannot be penetrated. You are not even the equal of a widow's young son.

虽我之死，有子存焉；子又生孙，孙又生子；子又有子，子又有孙；子子孙孙无穷匮也，而山不加增，何苦而不平？” suī wǒ zhī sǐ, yǒu zǐ cún yān; zǐ yòu shēng sūn, sūn yòu shēng zǐ; zǐ yòu yǒu zǐ, zǐ yòu yǒu sūn; zǐ zǐ sūn sūn wú qióng kuì yě, ér shān bù jiā zēng, hé kǔ ér bù píng?”
Even if I die, my sons will remain; sons will have grandsons, and grandsons will have sons. Those sons will have sons and grandsons in turn. Sons and grandsons will never run out, while the mountains will grow no bigger. Why worry that they cannot be levelled?”

河曲智叟亡以应。 hé qū zhì sǒu wú yǐ yìng.
The Wise Old Man of Hequ had no answer.

操蛇之神闻之，惧其不已也，告之于帝。 cāo shé zhī shén wén zhī, jù qí bù yǐ yě, gào zhī yú dì.
The snake-holding god heard of it, feared that the old man would never stop and reported it to the high god.

帝感其诚，命夸娥氏二子负二山，一厝朔东，一厝雍南。 dì gǎn qí chéng, mìng kuā é shì èr zǐ fù èr shān, yī cuò shuò dōng, yī cuò yōng nán.
Moved by his sincerity, the high god ordered the two sons of Kua'e to carry the mountains away, placing one east of Shuo and the other south of Yong.

自此，冀之南，汉之阴，无陇断焉。 zì cǐ, jì zhī nán, hàn zhī yīn, wú lǒng duàn yān.
From then on, no mountain ridge blocked the way south of Ji and on the south side of the Han.