yú gōng yí shān

Literal: Old man Yu Gong (愚公, yú gōng) moves (移, yí) a mountain (山, shān)

Actual: To persevere and complete your goals one step at a time

A long time ago, 90-year old Yu Gong (literally “Foolish Old Man”) lived next to two mountains - Tai Xing and Wang Wu. Each mountain stretched up towards the sky and spanned hundreds of miles wide, constantly blocking wherever he needed to go.

One day, Yu Gong called for a family meeting and said, “Let’s move the mountains! What do you think?” “Sure!” His grandchildren were very supportive. The closest school bus was on the other side of Tai Xing and they were really sick of the commute.

His wife, however, scowled at the idea. “Are you off your rocker? How will a dozen of us move two entire mountains? And where would you put all the rocks and mud anyway?” “Why, we’d simply push it into the sea!” Grandpa Yu and the kids continued to dig tirelessly at the mountains every day while inadvertently inventing the concept of artificial islands.

Another old man named Zhi Sou (literally “Wise Old Man”) came by to visit. He knew many things, such as how foolish Yu Gong’s excavation efforts were. “You’ll never finish, my friend,” Zhi Sou said matter-of-factly. “You might as well sit back, relax, and enjoy your 401k savings just like I am!”

To this, Yu Gong shook his head. “Ah ha, but my sons and daughters will continue my work, as will their sons and daughters. We will eventually move it all!” The Jade Emperor from heaven above was moved by his determination, and he commanded his two sons to carry the mountains away overnight.

TL;DR: Yu Gong moves two mountains with the power of sheer will and just a sprinkle of divine intervention.