The Foolish Old Man Who Moved Mountains

Classical Stories · No. 58 — Two mountains, one family, and infinite patience.

• Classical Stories
• 36 min
• Ages 8–13
• 6 chapters

About this audiobook

Ninety-year-old Yu Gong, the 'Foolish Old Man,' is tired of his family always having to walk the long way around two vast mountains that stand before their door. So he gathers his sons and grandsons and declares they will dig the mountains away and carry the earth to the sea. A clever neighbor mocks him: you're old and weak, you couldn't dent a hillside, let alone move a mountain. Yu Gong answers calmly that when he dies, his sons will continue, and their sons after them, and their sons after them — the mountains cannot grow any higher, but his family's work will never stop, so one day the way will be clear. And the story says even the gods, moved by such resolve, lent a hand.

Why it's worth a listen

An old man, tired of walking around two enormous mountains that block his family's way, announces he will simply dig them away — basket by basket — even though everyone laughs and says he'll be dead long before he makes a dent. His answer about who will finish the work has echoed through China for over two thousand years. A tiny parable with a mountain-sized idea.

A question to keep

Can patience and persistence really outlast something that seems impossible?

Based on the book by A tale from China, published by Emma's Library original retelling

Chapters

1. The Shadow of the Giants
2. A Bold Plan at the Hearth
3. One Basket at a Time
4. The Wisdom of the Wise Neighbor
5. The Mountains That Could Not Grow
6. A Question to Keep