半途而废 — “To give up something halfway”

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a virtuous woman in Henan prefecture, whose name was unknown to people, only that she was Leyangzi's wife. One day, Leyangzi found a piece of gold on the road and brought it home to his wife. His wife said, "I have heard that people of integrity do not drink water from the 'Thief's Spring' because its name is repugnant, nor do they eat food given as alms after being summoned, preferring to starve to death. How much more so is picking up lost items? This would stain one's character." Leyangzi was deeply ashamed by his wife's words, so he threw the gold away in the wilderness and went to a distant place to seek teachers and pursue his studies.

A year later, Leyangzi returned home. His wife knelt and asked him why he had come back. Leyangzi replied, "I missed home after being away for a long time, nothing else." Upon hearing this, his wife picked up a knife and walked to the loom, saying, "This silk on the loom comes from silkworms and is completed on the loom. Thread by thread it accumulates, becoming an inch long; inch by inch it accumulates, becoming a foot, or even a whole bolt. If I were to cut it today, all previous efforts would be wasted, and the time spent before would be for nothing."

The wife continued, "Studying is the same. You accumulate knowledge, and you should gain new insights every day, thereby perfecting your character daily. If you give up halfway, how is it any different from cutting the silk?" Leyangzi was deeply moved by his wife's words, so he went back to complete his studies, not returning home for seven years straight.