愚公山を移す

Etymology

From Sinitic 愚公移山, an anecdote in the Chinese Daoist work Liezi. In the story, two large mountains stand before the house of a character named 愚公 (literally "stupid and common"), impeding access, so the character and his family begin moving the mountains. A different character portrayed as a clever wag derides the family for their foolishness in moving the mountains instead of their house, but the emperor hears about them and is so impressed with their ambition and dedication that he arranges to have the mountains moved.

Proverb

愚公山を移す (hiragana ぐこうやまをうつす, rōmaji gukō yama o utsusu)

1. perseverance and hard work can overcome any obstacle; where there's a will, there's a way