The Foolish Old Man Moved Mountains

The author Li Yukou Dynasty Pre-Qin Dynasty

Translation comparison

Taihang and Wangwu Mountains are seven hundred miles square and ten thousand ren high. , originally located in the south of Jizhou and north of Heyang.

The Foolish Old Man of Beishan is ninety years old and lives facing the mountain. Punishing the fortress in the north of the mountain and the roundabout way to get in and out, they gathered together to plan and said: "I and you will try to level the danger and point out the way to the south of Henan and reach the Yin of Han Dynasty. Is that okay?" Zaran agreed. His wife expressed doubts and said: "With the power of the king, I have never been able to damage the hills of Kuifu, such as Taihang and Wang's house? How can I put earth and rocks there?" Za said: "Throw them at the end of the Bohai Sea and the north of Yintu." The three men who led their descendants to carry the load, knocked on the stones to cultivate the soil, and transported the dustpan and dustpan to the end of the Bohai Sea. The widow of a neighbor from the Jingcheng clan had a surviving son, so she began to fight and jumped to her aid. Winter and summer change, and the beginning is reversed.

The wise old man at the bend of the river stopped with a smile and said, "What a shame, you are so unfavorable! With all my remaining strength, I have not been able to destroy even a single hair on the mountain. How are they like earth and rocks?" The Foolish Old Man of Beishan took a long breath and said : "Your heart is so strong that it cannot be penetrated. You are no better than a widowed wife and a weak son. Even after my death, there are still sons and daughters. Sons beget grandchildren, and grandsons beget sons. Sons have sons, and sons have grandsons. Sons have descendants. The sun is infinite, but the mountains are not increasing, so why bother to make peace? "The wise old man died in the bend of the river.

When the god of snakes heard about it, he was terrified of it and told the emperor. The emperor felt his sincerity and ordered the two sons of the Kua'e family to carry two mountains, one to the east of Shuo and the other to the south of Yong. From then on, there was no long way to the south of Ji and the Yin of Han.

Translation Notes

The legendary Taihang and Wangwu Mountains are seven hundred miles around and seven to eight thousand feet high. They were originally located in the south of Jizhou and north of the north bank of the Yellow River. There is a man named Yu Gong at the bottom of Beishan Mountain. He is almost 90 years old and lives directly opposite the mountain. He suffered from the blockage in the northern part of the mountainous area and had to take a detour when going in and out, so he called his whole family to discuss and said: "I and you will try our best to dig out the steep mountains and (make the road) go all the way to the south of Yuzhou and the south bank of the Han River. Is it okay?" Family members expressed their approval. His wife asked: "With your strength, you can't even level the hill of Kuifu. What can you do with Taihang and Wangwu? Where can you put the excavated soil and stones?" Everyone said, "Put it away." Throw it to the edge of the Bohai Sea, to the north of Hidden Earth." So Yu Gong led three of his children and grandchildren who were able to carry the load up the mountain, cut rocks and dug soil, and carried it to the edge of the Bohai Sea with dustpans. The widow of the neighbor Jingcheng family had an orphan who was just seven or eight years old. She jumped to help him. You can only go back and forth once when the seasons change from winter to summer. The wise old man on the river bank laughed at Yu Gong and stopped him from doing this, saying: "You are so unintelligent, you are so stupid! With your remaining years and strength, you can't even grow a blade of grass on the mountain." If you can't move, what can you do with the soil and stones?" Beishan Yugong sighed and said, "You are so stubborn that you can't understand. Even if I die, I still have my son. Sons beget grandchildren, and grandsons beget sons; sons have sons, and sons have grandsons; there are endless descendants, but the mountain will not grow taller or bigger, so why are you afraid that it will not be leveled?" Hequ Zhisou had no answer. When the mountain god holding the snake heard about it, he was afraid that he would dig it out endlessly and reported it to the Emperor of Heaven. The Emperor of Heaven was moved by Yu Gong's sincerity and ordered the two sons of the Hercules Kua'e to carry away the two mountains and place one in the east of Shuofang and the other in the south of Yongzhou. From then on, there were no mountains blocking the southern part of Jizhou until the south bank of the Han River.