諺語 · a single proverb
行百里者半九十
What does 行百里者半九十 (xíng bǎi lǐ zhě bàn jiǔ shí) mean?
行百里者半九十 (xíng bǎi lǐ zhě bàn jiǔ shí) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "for one who travels a hundred li, ninety is only halfway." In use it means: The last ten percent of any journey is as hard as the first ninety. The closer you get to the finish, the more each step costs. Do not relax when you are almost there. 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 Horse.
Literally: "for one who travels a hundred li, ninety is only halfway."
The reading
Mile ninety feels like mile fifty should have felt. The legs are heavier, the light is fading, and the finish line is visible but not close. Most people who quit a hundred-mile journey quit after mile ninety, not mile ten. The beginning is easy because you are fresh. The end is hard because you are not, and the end is where the walking actually counts.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Zhanguo Ce 戰國策, Qin ce 秦策; also attributed to early Daoist texts
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 Horse, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 行百里者半九十 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 行百里者半九十 (xíng bǎi lǐ zhě bàn jiǔ shí) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Zhanguo Ce 戰國策, Qin ce 秦策; also attributed to early Daoist texts. 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 行百里者半九十?
In Mandarin it is xíng bǎi lǐ zhě bàn jiǔ shí. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 行百里者半九十 aloud in Mandarin.