諺語 · a single proverb
功虧一簣
Simplified: 功亏一篑
What does 功虧一簣 (gōng kuī yī kuì) mean?
功虧一簣 (gōng kuī yī kuì) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "the effort fails for want of one last basket of earth." In use it means: Giving up just before completion wastes everything invested; finish what you start. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Ox.
Literally: "the effort fails for want of one last basket of earth."
The reading
The mountain was one basket of dirt from being done. He put down the basket and walked away. Every unfinished project is a monument to the moment someone decided the last step was not worth it. It always is.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Book of Documents 尚書, Lu Ao 旅獒
Sits beside
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Perseverance & the Long Road, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Ox, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 功虧一簣 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 功虧一簣 (gōng kuī yī kuì) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Book of Documents 尚書, Lu Ao 旅獒. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 功虧一簣?
In Mandarin it is gōng kuī yī kuì. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 功虧一簣 aloud in Mandarin.