Chinese Idiom: 以卵击石 (Yi Luan Ji Shi)
English Translation: Strike a Stone with an Egg
pīn yīn: yǐ luǎn jī shí
Idiom Meaning: This idiom describes a situation where someone makes an attempt to confront or challenge a far superior force or obstacle, knowing that the effort will be futile and lead to failure.
Historical Source: Mozi (《墨子·贵义》)
Idiom Story
One year, Mozi traveled to the state of Qi and encountered a man named Yue. Yue warned Mozi, saying, “You shouldn’t go north today because the Heavenly Emperor is killing a black dragon in the north. Your skin is dark, and going north will bring you bad luck!” Mozi, however, did not believe Yue’s warning and continued his journey north. Shortly afterward, he had to turn back because the Zishui River had flooded, preventing him from crossing.
Yue, pleased with himself, said to Mozi, “See? I told you not to go north. You ran into trouble, didn’t you?”
Mozi smiled slightly and replied, “The flood in the Zishui River has blocked travelers from both the north and south. There are travelers with both dark and light skin who can’t pass. It’s not a matter of skin color but of the flood itself.”
Yue was left speechless by Mozi’s response. Mozi continued, “If the Heavenly Emperor were to kill the Azure Dragon in the east, the Vermilion Bird in the south, the White Tiger in the west, and the Yellow Dragon in the center, then wouldn’t everyone be unable to move throughout the world? Your claims are as absurd as using an egg to strike a stone. Even if all the eggs in the world were used, they could not damage the stone.”
Yue felt ashamed and left, realizing the futility of his argument.
The idiom “以卵击石” originates from this story, illustrating the futility of confronting an overwhelmingly superior force or attempting something that is bound to fail.
