功亏一篑
- Literal
- the work falls short by one basket
- Figurative
- To fail at the very last step, through one final slip or a missing last push; unlike 前功尽弃, the stress is on the unfinished job, not on what is lost.
Where does 功亏一篑 come from?
It comes from the Book of Documents (Shangshu), chapter "Lü Ao." When King Wu of Zhou had just overthrown the Shang, the Lü people of the west sent him an enormous mastiff as tribute. The Grand Protector, the Duke of Shao, then wrote the king a warning: not to let rare gifts seduce him and to stay diligent day and night, because neglecting small things ends up harming great virtue. He drives the point home with an image: when raising a mound nine ren high (an old measure), the work can fall short by a single basket of earth. Today it is said of an effort that fails just before it is finished.
Source (出处): 《尚书·旅獒》
How is 功亏一篑 used? Two examples
- 他跑了四十公里，最后两公里抽筋退赛，真是功亏一篑。
He ran forty kilometers, then cramped up and dropped out in the last two; he came so close to finishing.
- 我们的方案进了最后一轮，却因为报价高了一点而功亏一篑。
Our proposal made it to the final round, only to fall at the last hurdle because our quote was a bit too high.
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