功亏一篑
Traditional form:
功虧一簣
Pinyin (reading):
gōngkuīyīkuì
Definitions:
- lit. to ruin the enterprise for the sake of one basketful
- to fail through lack of a final effort
- to spoil the ship for a ha'penny worth of tar (idiom)
Characters:
- 功 - achievement, good work; merit; service
- 亏 - to lose, to fail; loss, damages; deficient
- 一 - one; a, an; alone
- 篑 - a bamboo basket for carrying soil
Traditional characters: