U-gong-i-san

愚

어리석을 우

公

공변될 공

移

옮길 이

山

산 산

Character by character

Meaning

Old Man Yu moves the mountain — persistence accomplishes anything.

Origin

From the Liezi: a ninety-year-old vowed his descendants would keep carrying the soil, and heaven moved the mountain for him.

How it is used

A reminder to yourself when the goal is far off but the work continues.

Hanja愚公移山

Simplified愚公移山

Korean reading우공이산

Pinyinyú gōng yí shān

Frequently asked questions

Q. What does U-gong-i-san mean?

愚公移山 · Old Man Yu moves the mountain — persistence accomplishes anything.

Q. Where does U-gong-i-san come from?

From the Liezi: a ninety-year-old vowed his descendants would keep carrying the soil, and heaven moved the mountain for him.

Q. How is U-gong-i-san used?

A reminder to yourself when the goal is far off but the work continues.

Idioms in the same group

磨斧作針 Ma-bu-jak-chimGrind an axe into a needle — dogged effort achieves even the impossible.螢雪之功 Hyeong-seol-ji-gongMerit earned reading by fireflies and snow-light — study achieved in hardship.切齒腐心 Jeol-chi-bu-simGrinding your teeth and letting your heart rot — nursing a grievance.臥薪嘗膽 Wa-sin-sang-damSleep on firewood and taste gall — endure any hardship to settle a score.百折不屈 Baek-jeol-bul-gulBroken a hundred times and still unbent.七顚八起 Chil-jeon-pal-giFall seven times, rise eight.

The idioms used in Korea mix phrases from the Chinese classics with ones coined in Korea. Where an expression is not used in China, the entry says so.