Chinese Idiom: 半途而废 (Ban Tu Er Fei)
English Translation: Abandon halfway
pīn yīn: bàn tú ér fèi
Idiom Meaning: This idiom describes the situation where someone starts a task but fails to complete it, stopping halfway through. It signifies a lack of perseverance and commitment.
Historical Source: “Doctrine of the Mean” (《中庸》) in the “Book of Rites” (《礼记》)
Idiom Story:
The story of “半途而废” is illustrated through an anecdote from the “Book of the Later Han” (《后汉书·列女传》), which describes an event involving a scholar named Le Yangzi (乐羊子, Pinyin: Lè Yángzǐ) from the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Le Yangzi was a well-educated individual from Henan (present-day Luoyang, Henan Province). His wife was known for her virtue and diligence. One day, Le Yangzi found a piece of gold on the road and brought it home. His wife responded, “I have heard that a person of ambition should not drink from a stolen spring (a reference to a story where Confucius refrained from drinking from a spring with a tainted reputation) or accept inappropriate charity. Taking something that does not belong to us is also unacceptable.”
Feeling ashamed, Le Yangzi returned the gold to its original place and left his hometown to study further away.
However, just a year later, he returned home. His wife, surprised by his early return, asked why he came back so soon. Le Yangzi replied, “I missed you dearly during my travels; there was no other special reason.”
His wife then took a pair of scissors and walked over to the loom, saying: “This silk fabric starts from silkworm cocoons and is woven thread by thread on the loom. If we cut the threads now, all the time and effort put into weaving will be wasted. Just like the loom, your study should be continuous. Each day, you should learn what you do not yet know to perfect your virtues. If you return halfway through, it is like cutting the threads of the loom. You would waste all your previous efforts and fail to achieve success.”
Deeply moved by his wife’s words, Le Yangzi immediately set out again to continue his studies. He spent a full seven years away from home, eventually completing his education and achieving his goals.
This story exemplifies the idiom “半途而废”, illustrating the importance of perseverance and not abandoning a task halfway.
