📖 Meaning
To stop upon encountering a mound, meaning to give up when facing difficulties or obstacles. It describes someone who lacks perseverance and halts their progress when confronted with even moderate challenges. The idiom criticizes a mentality of seeking ease rather than striving for self-improvement.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the work 'Xunzi: You Zuo' (《荀子·宥坐》), written by the Warring States period philosopher Xunzi (荀子, 3rd century BCE). In this passage, Xunzi uses the metaphor of a small ant mound versus a large hill to illustrate attitudes toward progress: those who advance even a little like an ant mound earn his praise, while those who stop at the sight of a hill displease him. The text states that advancing like a small mound earns approval, but stopping at a hill means one is finished. The metaphor became an idiom denoting a lack of ambition and determination.
💡 Example Usage
学海无涯，若如丘而止，终将一事无成。
Learning is boundless; if you stop at the first obstacle, you will ultimately accomplish nothing.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 如丘而止
- Pinyin: rú qiū ér zhǐ
- Literal Translation: like, hill, then, stop
- Category: Perseverance
- Characters: 4