半途而废

During the Warring States Period,there was a man called Yue Yangzi.
Yue Yangzi felt that he should go out and visit scholars to enrich his knowledge. So he set off.
A year later, he came back home suddenly.
'Why have you returned?' asked his wife in surprise, 'You've only spent one year studying with scholars.'
'I come back because I missed you very much.'
Without saying anything, his wife took a pair of scissors and went to the loom at which she had worked.
Pointing at the half done brocade, she proclaimed : 'This brocade is woven from the finest silk.I wove one strand after another to produce the brocade. Now if I cut it, all my previous work will be wasted. It's the same with your studies. You can acquire knowledge only through diligence. Now, you've given up halfway. Isn't it the same as cutting the brocade on the loom?'
Yue Yangzi was moved by what she said. He again left home to visit scholars. Several years later, he became a knowledgable man.

战国时期，魏国有个叫乐羊子的人。乐羊子认为，自己应该出去拜师求学以丰富自己的知识。所以，他出发了。一年后，乐羊子突然回到家中。
他的妻子很惊讶地问：“你怎么回来了？你才和那些学者学了一年呀。”
乐羊子说：“我太想你了，所以回来看看。”　他的妻子听了以后，二话不说，拿起把剪刀走到她的织布机前。
她指着那块已经完成了一半的锦缎说：“这块锦缎用的是最好的丝。我一丝丝的累积来织成这锦缎。如果我现在把它剪断，那我付出的努力就算白费了。你通过勤奋获取知识，但现在却半途而废，这和剪断织布机上的锦缎有什么区别？”　
乐羊子被妻子的话所感动，于是再次离开家拜师求学。几年后，乐羊子终于完成学业，成为一个博学的人。