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.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìstrength
Sound part声符shēngfú
工
工gōng功gōng
Same sound today

功 puts 力 (strength) beside 工, which gives the sound gōng and means labour or work.

Open 功 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 敗; 败 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攵Written in full as攴pūstrike
Sound part声符shēngfú
貝
貝bèi敗bài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 敗 has 貝 as the sound component and 攴 (written 攵) meaning strike. The simplified 败 is a later abbreviation, so its parts are not the original components.

Open 败 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

垂 combines 𠂹 and 土 to draw flowers hanging down from a plant.

Open 垂 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
戊戊wù
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng成chéng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

成 puts 戊, a weapon, beside 丁, which gives the sound. The weapon part relates to protection, as in the old sense of city walls.

Open 成 →

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