功败垂成 (gōng bài chuí chéng) — to fail when on the verge of success; to fall short at the last moment
Definition
A formal chengyu meaning 'to fail on the very brink of success' — emphasizes the tragedy of almost making it. The whole phrase is a single predicate; it has no loose near-synonym among the basic HSK stock.
idiom
to fail when on the verge of successto fall short at the last moment
Examples
- ，功败垂成，。Tā kǔ liàn le duō nián, què zài jué sài zhōng gōng bài chuí chéng, yí hàn tuì yì.He trained hard for years, but failed on the verge of success in the final and retired with regret.
- 功败垂成，。Gōng sī de zhè cì kuò zhāng jì huà yīn zī jīn duàn liè ér gōng bài chuí chéng, shí zài kě xī.The company's expansion plan failed at the last moment due to a funding gap, which is really a pity.
- 功败垂成。Lì shǐ shàng bù shǎo gǎi gé dōu yīn wèi bǎo shǒu shì lì zǔ náo ér gōng bài chuí chéng.In history, many reforms failed on the verge of success because of obstruction from conservative forces.
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