功虧一簣

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See also: 功亏一篑

Chinese

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merit; achievement; result
merit; achievement; result; service; accomplishment
 
deficiency; deficit
one; single; a
one; single; a; (before verbs) as soon as, once; (before a noun) entire (family, etc.)
 
basket for carrying soil
trad. (功虧一簣)
simp. (功亏一篑)
Literally: “one basket (of dirt) short of success”.

Etymology

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From the Forged Old Text chapters of the Book of Documents (《尚書·旅獒》):

嗚呼功虧一簣 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
呜呼功亏一篑 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: The Book of Documents, circa 4th – 3rd century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
Wūhū! Sù yè wǎng huò bù qín, bù jīn xì xíng, zhōng lěi dà dé. Wéi shān jiǔ rèn, gōng kuī yī kuì. [Pinyin]
Oh! early and late never be but earnest. If you do not attend jealously to your small actions, the result will be to affect your virtue in great matters; in raising a mound of nine fathoms, the work may be unfinished for want of one basket (of earth).

The phrase likely originated as a paraphrase from the Analects, Book 9 (《論語·子罕》):

子曰:「譬如譬如。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
子曰:「譬如譬如。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
Zǐyuē: “Pìrú wéi shān, wèi chéng yī kuì, zhǐ, wú zhǐ yě; pìrú píng dì, suī fù yī kuì, jìn, wú wǎng yě.” [Pinyin]
The Master said, "(The prosecution of learning) may be compared to what may happen in raising a mound. If there want but one basket of earth to complete the work, and I stop, the stopping is my own work. It may be compared to throwing down the earth on the level ground. Though but one basketful is thrown at a time, the advancing with it is my own going forward."

Pronunciation

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Idiom

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功虧一簣

  1. to fall short of success due to the lack of a final effort
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