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Mythic Mandarin

Giving up halfway: 半途而废

HSK 5 Unit 6: Chengyu, four-character idioms · Lesson 5 of 5 · About 28 minutes

Preview version — Chinese review in progress.

Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can follow the story behind 半途而废, use it about giving up halfway, and review the idioms of this unit.

Warm-up: do you remember?

Two quick questions from earlier lessons. Recalling before you learn makes the new material stick.

  1. Meaning

    What does 无边无际 mean?

    1. boundless
    2. budget
    3. solid, sturdy
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, boundless.

    无边无际 (wúbiān wújì) means boundless.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “sharp”?

    1. 细节
    2. 锋利
    3. 购物
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 锋利.

    “sharp” is 锋利 (fēnglì).

  3. Listening

    From an earlier unit. Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    惊险 jīngxiǎn

    1. thrilling, dangerous
    2. to meet with, to encounter
    3. to have, to possess
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, thrilling, dangerous.

    You heard 惊险 (jīngxiǎn): thrilling, dangerous.

New words

  • 半途而废bàntú érfèito give up halfway
  • 织布zhībùto weave cloth
  • 断duànto break, to cut
  • 学业xuéyèstudies
  • 前功尽弃qiángōng jìnqìall previous effort wasted

The story and the meaning

半途而废 means to give up halfway. The story comes from an old book about virtuous women; this is our own simple retelling.

  • 学汉语不能半途而废。

    Xué Hànyǔ bù néng bàntú érfèi.

    You can't give up learning Chinese halfway.

前功尽弃 (qián gōng jìn qì) is all previous effort wasted, often the result of giving up.

Characters

Open a character to see how it is written, stroke by stroke, with its meanings and words.

The weaver's lesson

Professor Yang tells the story.

Listen first

Play the whole text and answer the questions before you open it.

Helpful words: 亡羊补牢 wángyáng bǔláo better late than never; 自相矛盾 zìxiāng máodùn to contradict oneself; 井底之蛙 jǐngdǐ zhī wā a frog in a well; 乐羊子 Yuè Yángzǐ Yue Yangzi (a man in the story); 剪刀 jiǎndāo scissors; 拿起 náqǐ to pick up; 想家 xiǎngjiā to be homesick; 工夫 gōngfu work, effort; 惭愧 cánkuì ashamed; 可惜 kěxī a pity; 钢琴 gāngqín piano

  1. Listening

    Listen first. Why did Yue Yangzi come home?

    1. He was homesick.
    2. He finished his studies.
    3. He was ill.
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, He was homesick..

    他想家了.

  2. Listening

    What did his wife do?

    1. She cut the half-woven cloth.
    2. She cried and begged him to stay.
    3. She left home with him.
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, She cut the half-woven cloth..

    把织了一半的布剪断了.

  3. Listening

    What did he do afterwards?

    1. stayed at home with his wife
    2. found a job near his home
    3. went back and studied for seven years
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, went back and studied for seven years.

    马上回去继续学习，七年都没有回家.

Show the text
Pinyin
Translation

  1. 古时候Gǔshíhou，有yǒu一yí个gè叫jiào乐羊子Yuè Yángzǐ的de人rén，离开líkāi家jiā去qù很hěn远yuǎn的de地方dìfang读dú书shū。

    In ancient times, a man called Yue Yangzi left home to study far away.

  2. 一Yì年nián以后yǐhòu，他tā想家xiǎngjiā了le，就jiù回来huílai了le。

    After a year, he was homesick, so he came back.

  3. 他Tā的de妻子qīzi正在zhèngzài织布zhībù。她Tā问wèn：“你nǐ学xué完wán了le吗ma？”

    His wife was weaving. She asked: "Have you finished your studies?"

  4. 他Tā说shuō：“还hái没有méiyǒu，只不过zhǐbuguò很hěn想家xiǎngjiā。”

    He said: "Not yet. It's just that I missed home."

  5. 妻子Qīzi拿起náqǐ剪刀jiǎndāo，把bǎ织zhī了le一半yíbàn的de布bù剪断jiǎnduàn了le。

    His wife picked up the scissors and cut the half-woven cloth.

  6. 她Tā说shuō：“布bù一旦yídàn剪断jiǎnduàn，以前yǐqián的de工夫gōngfu就jiù前功尽弃qiángōng jìnqì了le。学习Xuéxí也yě一样yíyàng，半途而废bàntú érfèi，就jiù什么shénme也yě得不到débudào。”

    She said: "Once the cloth is cut, all the earlier work is wasted. Studying is the same: if you give up halfway, you get nothing."

  7. 乐羊子Yuè Yángzǐ听tīng了le很hěn惭愧cánkuì，马上mǎshàng回去huíqu继续jìxù学习xuéxí，七qī年nián都dōu没有méiyǒu回huí家jiā。

    Yue Yangzi was ashamed. He went straight back to his studies and didn't come home for seven years.

Speak: listen, record, compare

Listen to each model, record yourself, then play both and compare: the rhythm, the tones, the vowels. No automatic score: your ear is the judge.

  • 妻子拿起剪刀，把织了一半的布剪断了。

    Qīzi náqǐ jiǎndāo, bǎ zhī le yíbàn de bù jiǎnduàn le.

    His wife picked up the scissors and cut the half-woven cloth.

  • 他的妻子正在织布。她问：“你学完了吗？”

    Tā de qīzi zhèngzài zhībù. Tā wèn: “Nǐ xué wán le ma?”

    His wife was weaving. She asked: "Have you finished your studies?"

  • 一年以后，他想家了，就回来了。

    Yì nián yǐhòu, tā xiǎngjiā le, jiù huílai le.

    After a year, he was homesick, so he came back.

Practice

  1. Meaning

    What does 半途而废 mean?

    1. reason, cause
    2. to give up halfway
    3. bedroom
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, to give up halfway.

    半途而废 (bàntú érfèi) means to give up halfway.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “to weave cloth”?

    1. 织布
    2. 青蛙
    3. 见识
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 织布.

    “to weave cloth” is 织布 (zhībù).

  3. Pinyin

    How do you read 断 (to break, to cut)?

    1. duán
    2. duān
    3. duàn
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, duàn.

    断 is read duàn. Check the tone mark on every syllable.

  4. Listening

    Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    学业 xuéyè

    1. to do one's best
    2. studies
    3. not bad, pretty good
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, studies.

    You heard 学业 (xuéyè): studies.

  5. Your turn

    Recall: type the Chinese for “all previous effort wasted” (characters or pinyin).

    Show the answer

    Answer: 前功尽弃

    “all previous effort wasted” is 前功尽弃 (qiángōng jìnqì).

  6. Listening

    Listen. Which sentence did you hear?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    他说：“还没有，只不过很想家。” Tā shuō: “Hái méiyǒu, zhǐbuguò hěn xiǎngjiā.”

    1. He said: "Not yet. It's just that I missed home."
    2. Yue Yangzi was ashamed. He went straight back to his studies and didn't come home for seven years.
    3. His wife picked up the scissors and cut the half-woven cloth.
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, He said: "Not yet. It's just that I missed home.".

    You heard 他说：“还没有，只不过很想家。” (Tā shuō: “Hái méiyǒu, zhǐbuguò hěn xiǎngjiā.”): He said: "Not yet. It's just that I missed home."

  7. Reading

    Read: 她学钢琴学了三年，后来觉得太难，就不学了。妈妈说她半途而废，太可惜了。 What did she do?

    1. became a famous pianist
    2. gave up the piano halfway
    3. started learning to sing
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, gave up the piano halfway.

    半途而废: gave up halfway.

  8. In context

    You stop a project in the middle and all the work is lost. Which idiom fits?

    1. 一路平安
    2. 前功尽弃
    3. 一举两得
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 前功尽弃.

    前功尽弃: all previous effort wasted.

  9. In context

    Which idiom means not too late to fix a problem?

    1. 自相矛盾
    2. 亡羊补牢
    3. 井底之蛙
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 亡羊补牢.

    亡羊补牢.

  10. Your turn

    Type the Chinese for to give up halfway

    Show the answer

    Answer: 半途而废

    半途而废: to give up halfway.

Idioms review

Tell out loud one short situation for each idiom of this unit, then retell 半途而废. Record it.

  1. 一举两得 and 马马虎虎 in daily life.
  2. 亡羊补牢, 自相矛盾 and 井底之蛙, each in one sentence.
  3. The story of 半途而废 and something you won't give up.

Sentence frames

  • ＿＿，不能半途而废。

    ＿＿, bù néng bàntú érfèi.

    ..., you can't give up halfway.

Record your attempt (three and a half minutes at most) and listen back:

Review and finish

Can you do this? If a line feels shaky, go back to that part before you move on.

  • I can retell 半途而废 and use it.
  • I can use all the chengyu of this unit in context.

Review works best spaced out: answer these exercises again tomorrow, then after a few days. Your progress is saved in this browser.

Completing records that you finished the lesson. Mastery is separate: it grows as reviews bring the exercises back and you answer them correctly.

Next: HSK 5 Unit 7: Work and the economy, where you talk about markets, companies and careers in more depth.