Media Samples English Synopsis
半途而废 Give Up Halfway
By Cecilia Ling
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Give Up Halfway is a famous idiom, and this is the synopsis of this ancient Chinese idiom and its story.
During the Warring Period (475-221 BC), an intelligent and hardworking lady was the wife of a local poor young man Yue Yang Zi. One day, he saw a piece of gold on the roadside and picked it up. He gave it to his wife. But his wife said, picking up another's lost valuable was a failure of character. Yue yang Zi felt ashamed, sent the gold back to where he found it.
He went on a journey to visit a well-known teacher to enrich his knowledge.
A year later, he returned home and told his wife that he missed her and home very much. His wife took a pair of scissors and went to the loom which she had worked. She said, "I have worked on this brocade day and night for a long time, if I cut it now, all of my previous work will be wasted. It is the same with your studies. You must keep learning and finish your plan. If you stopped halfway, isn't it the same as cutting the brocade on the loom?"
His wife's wisdom moved Yue Yang Zi. He decided to return to the teacher. After years, he finally completed his studies, gained broad knowledge, and became a successful man.
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