断织劝学
Duàn zhī quàn xué
Translation: To cut the threads on a loom to encourage learning.
Meaning: To encourage people to learn.
Story
The origin of this proverb is found in Le Yangzi qi zhuan (A Biography of Le Yangzi’s Wife), a chapter of the famed Houhan shu 后汉书(History of the Later Han) compiled by Fan Ye (398–445 ce), a Chinese historian of the Southern and Northern dynasties (420–589). Later, Confucians substituted Mencius and his mother for the original Le Yangzi and his wife as the main characters.
Le Yangzi lived in Henan County during the Eastern Han dynasty (25 ce–220 ce). He was known as a lucky man because he married an intelligent and rational woman who later supported him to reach his goals and become successful.
