give up halfway 半途而废

During the Warring States Period (475-221BC), there was a man called Yue Yangzi in State Wei.
战国时期，魏国有个叫乐羊子的人。
Yue Yangzi felt that he should go out and visit scholars to enrich his knowledge. So he set off.
乐羊子离开家到了一个很远的地方，去拜师求学。
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."
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。”
"I come back because I missed you very much."
乐羊子说：“我太想你了，所以回来看看。”
Without saying anything, his wife took a pair of scissors and went to the loom at which she had worked.
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。
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?"
她指着那块已经完成了一半的锦缎说：“这块锦缎用的是的丝。我一丝丝的累积来织成这锦缎。如果我现在把它剪断，就等于前功尽弃。你求学也是这样。如果现在停止，和剪断织布机上的锦缎有什么区别？”
Yue Yangzi was moved by what she said. He again left home to visit scholars. Several years later he became a knowledgable man.
乐羊子被妻子的话所感动，于是立刻离开家，继续拜师求学。几年后，乐羊子终于完成学业，成为一个博学的人。

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