传说，北山愚公年近九十，门前却横着太行、王屋两座大山，出门办事都得绕很远的路。
Legend has it that Yugong of the North Mountain was nearly ninety, yet two great mountains, Taihang and Wangwu, lay across his doorway, forcing a long detour every time he went out.
于是他率领子孙凿石挖土，立志把两座山移走。
So he led his sons and grandsons in chiseling rock and digging earth, resolved to move the two mountains away.
河曲智叟讥笑他自不量力，愚公却答道：“子子孙孙无穷尽，而山不会再增高，何愁挖不平？”
Zhisou of Hequ ridiculed him for overreaching, but Yugong replied: 'My descendants will go on without end, whereas the mountains will grow no taller — why worry that they cannot be leveled?'
天帝被他的诚意打动，命大力神把两座山背走了。
The Emperor of Heaven, moved by his sincerity, ordered mighty gods to carry the mountains away on their backs.
小时候，老师说这个故事教我们坚持不懈；长大后，我却读出了另一层意味。
As a child, I was taught that the story is about perseverance; as an adult, I read another layer of meaning in it.
现代人做事，总爱先计算“性价比”：学一门外语要几年？健身多久才能见效？
Modern people love to run a cost-benefit analysis before doing anything: how many years to learn a language? How long before workouts show results?
一旦回报来得太慢，我们便半途而废，转身去寻找捷径。
The moment the payoff comes too slowly, we give up halfway and turn to hunt for shortcuts.
愚公的可贵，恰恰在于他不问“我能否亲眼看到结果”，只问“这件事值不值得开始”。
What makes Yugong admirable is precisely that he never asked 'Will I live to see the result?' — only 'Is this worth beginning?'
山也许永远搬不完，但一个不被眼前得失绑架的人，早已翻过了心中最高的那座山。
Perhaps the mountain can never be fully moved — but a person no longer held hostage by immediate gains and losses has already climbed the highest mountain of all, the one within.
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Key words 生词
讥笑jīxiàoto ridicule
自不量力zì bú liàng lìto overestimate one's strength
坚持不懈jiānchí búxièto persevere unremittingly
半途而废bàn tú ér fèito give up halfway
捷径jiéjìngshortcut
性价比xìngjiàbǐcost-performance ratio
Grammar note 语法点
一旦……，便/就……
'Once/the moment A happens, then B' — 便 is the literary equivalent of 就. 一旦回报来得太慢，我们便半途而废。
一旦下定决心，便不要轻易放弃。— Once you have made up your mind, do not give up lightly.
恰恰在于
'lies precisely in' — pinpoints the essence of something, often after words like 可贵、问题、区别. 愚公的可贵，恰恰在于他不问结果。
两者的区别恰恰在于态度。— The difference between the two lies precisely in attitude.
Check yourself 小测验
1. Why did Yugong want to move the mountains?
2. How did Yugong answer Zhisou's mockery?
3. According to the author, which question did Yugong NOT ask?
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