功成身退

Pronunciation: gōng chéng shēn tuì Literal meaning: Merit achieved, person withdraws

Origin & Usage

The Dao De Jing states it as a natural law rather than as advice: 功遂身退，天之道 — the work (功) done (成), the person (身) withdraws (退), and this is the way of heaven. The argument is that staying on after the thing is finished is what destroys the people who do it, and the classic case is the general who wins the war and is then killed by the king he won it for. Graceful exits claim it, and there is always a faint sense that the alternative was worse than obscurity.

Examples

English: "After completing his mission, he quietly stepped aside."

Chinese: 完成使命后，他功成身退。