功虧一簣

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

嗚呼！夙夜罔或不勤，不矜細行，終累大德。為山九仞，功虧一簣。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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呜呼！夙夜罔或不勤，不矜细行，终累大德。为山九仞，功亏一篑。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Book of Documents, circa 4^th – 3^rd 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：「譬如為山，未成一簣，止，吾止也；譬如平地，雖覆一簣，進，吾往也。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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子曰：“譬如为山，未成一篑，止，吾止也；譬如平地，虽覆一篑，进，吾往也。” [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."

功虧一簣

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

• 功敗垂成／功败垂成 (gōngbàichuíchéng)
• 半途而廢／半途而废 (bàntú'érfèi)
• 前功盡棄／前功尽弃 (qiángōngjìnqì)