‘Yú gōng yí shān’ (The Foolish Old Man Who Moved Mountains) is a classical Chinese idiom rooted in a famous fable from the Daoist text *Liezi*. It tells of an old man named Yu Gong who, undeterred by his age and the enormity of two massive mountains blocking his village’s path, vows to dig them away with his family—stone by stone, generation by generation. His unwavering determination eventually moves heaven itself, which sends gods to carry the mountains off.

The phrase symbolizes extraordinary perseverance, long-term commitment, and faith in incremental effort—even when success seems impossible. Though literally about moving mountains, it is never used for literal construction or geography; instead, it appears in motivational, political, educational, or personal development contexts to praise steadfast resolve against daunting odds. The ‘foolishness’ is ironic: what looks like naivety is actually profound wisdom and moral courage.