How do you pronounce 功亏一篑?

功亏一篑 is pronounced as "gōng kuī yī kuì" in Mandarin Chinese.

功亏一篑

Q: What does 功亏一篑 mean?

功亏一篑 (gōng kuī yī kuì) literally means "Work fails one basket" and metaphorically means "Fail due to giving up near the end". It belongs to the Life Philosophy category of Chinese idioms.

Q: When is 功亏一篑 used?

功亏一篑 is used when The project collapsed due to a small oversight in the final stage.

功亏一篑 (gōng kuī yī kuì) literally means “work fails one basket” and expresses “fail due to giving up near the end”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving life philosophy.

Also searched as: gong kui yi kui, gong kui yi kui,功亏一篑 meaning, 功亏一篑 in english

Fail due to giving up near the end

Pronunciation: gōng kuī yī kuì Literal meaning: Work fails one basket

Origin & Usage

The ancient Chinese text 'Hanfeizi' tells of a man who stopped hauling earth (功) one basket (篑) short of completing his mountain, teaching how projects can fail at the very end. Song Dynasty scholars used this story to warn against relaxing effort prematurely. The specific image of a single basket making the difference between success and failure powerfully illustrates how small lapses can undo great efforts.

Examples

English: "The project collapsed due to a small oversight in the final stage"

Chinese: 这个项目因最后阶段的一个小疏忽而失败

Related Chinese Idioms

Similar idioms about life philosophy

一波三折

yī bō sān zhé

Many twists and turns

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改邪归正

gǎi xié guī zhèng

Return to righteousness

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好逸恶劳

hào yì wù láo

Love ease, hate work

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物极必反

wù jí bì fǎn

Extremes lead to reversal

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塞翁失马

sài wēng shī mǎ

Misfortune might be a blessing

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近水楼台

jìn shuǐ lóu tái

Advantage from close connections

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夜郎自大

yè láng zì dà

Overestimate oneself

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因果报应

yīn guǒ bào yìng

Actions have consequences

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does 功亏一篑 mean in English?

功亏一篑 (gōng kuī yī kuì) literally translates to “Work fails one basket” and is used to express “Fail due to giving up near the end”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Life Philosophy category.