What's the difference between these two Chinese idioms?
愚公移山 is about moving an immovable obstacle through generational effort, while 百折不挠 is about personal resilience through repeated setbacks. Both are about never giving up, but 愚公移山 is collective and 百折不挠 is individual.
yú gōng yí shān
“Persistence overcomes huge obstacles”
Literally: Foolish old man moves mountains
The Liezi tells of an old man of ninety whose way out was blocked by two mountains, and who began shifting (移) them (山) away a basket at a time. A widowed neighbour's small son ran over to help. The Wise Old Man of Hequ laughed at him and told him to stop, and he answered that when he died his sons ...
Example: Despite overwhelming obstacles, the small team persisted until they revolutionized the industry
Chinese: 尽管面临巨大障碍，这个小团队坚持不懈，最终彻底改变了行业
bǎi zhé bù náo
“Unshakeable despite adversity”
Literally: Broken a hundred times, never bending
Cai Yong wrote it on Qiao Xuan's memorial stele: his nature was grave, he disliked show and held to the plain, and he had the bearing of a man who could be broken (折) a hundred (百) times and would not (不) bend (挠), who faced a crisis and could not be moved from his ground. 折 is setbacks rather than ...
Example: Despite numerous rejections, she never gave up on her dreams
Chinese: 尽管屡次被拒绝，她从未放弃梦想
| Aspect | 愚公移山 | 百折不挠 |
|---|---|---|
| Pinyin | yú gōng yí shān | bǎi zhé bù náo |
| Literal Meaning | Foolish old man moves mountains | Broken a hundred times, never bending |
| Used For | Persistence overcomes huge obstacles | Unshakeable despite adversity |
| Theme | Success & Perseverance | Success & Perseverance |
| Example | Despite overwhelming obstacles, the small team persisted until they revolutionized the industry | Despite numerous rejections, she never gave up on her dreams |
愚公移山 is about moving an immovable obstacle through generational effort, while 百折不挠 is about personal resilience through repeated setbacks. Both are about never giving up, but 愚公移山 is collective and 百折不挠 is individual.
愚公移山 literally means "Foolish old man moves mountains" and is used to describe "Persistence overcomes huge obstacles." The Liezi tells of an old man of ninety whose way out was blocked by two mountains, and who began shifting (移) them (山) away a basket at a time. A widowed neighbour's small son ran over to help. The W
百折不挠 literally means "Broken a hundred times, never bending" and is used to describe "Unshakeable despite adversity." Cai Yong wrote it on Qiao Xuan's memorial stele: his nature was grave, he disliked show and held to the plain, and he had the bearing of a man who could be broken (折) a hundred (百) times and would not
Use 愚公移山 when you want to emphasize "Persistence overcomes huge obstacles." Use 百折不挠 when you want to emphasize "Unshakeable despite adversity." 愚公移山 is about moving an immovable obstacle through generational effort, while 百折不挠 is about personal resilience through repeated setbacks. Both are about never giving up, but 愚公移山 is collective and 百折不挠 is individual.
愚公移山 (Old Man moves mountains) is about multi-generational persistence against impossible odds, while 铁杵成针 (pestle to needle) is about individual effort on a difficult task. Collective vs individual persistence.
百折不挠 emphasizes not breaking despite setbacks, while 锲而不舍 emphasizes never stopping the effort. One is about resilience, the other about persistence.
百折不挠 stresses surviving repeated failures, while 坚持不懈 focuses on continuous effort without slacking. Resilience vs discipline.