虎头蛇尾 (hǔ tóu shé wěi) — to start off strong but fizzle out; a fine start with a poor finish
Definition
A chengyu describing something that starts with great energy but trails off weakly — literally 'tiger's head, snake's tail.' Used to criticize a project, effort, or performance whose beginning doesn't match its ending.
idiom
to start off strong but fizzle outa fine start with a poor finish
Examples
- 虎头蛇尾，，。Tā zuò shì zǒng shì hǔ tóu shé wěi, kāi tóu hěn rèn zhēn, hòu lái jiù bù guǎn le.He always starts strong but fizzles out — very serious at the beginning, then he stops caring.
- 虎头蛇尾，。Zhè ge xiàng mù bù néng hǔ tóu shé wěi, yí dìng yào jiān chí dào dǐ.This project can't start strong but end weak; we must persist to the end.
- 虎头蛇尾，，。Hěn duō xué shēng xué xí xīn yǔ yán dōu huì hǔ tóu shé wěi, yì kāi shǐ rè qíng hěn gāo, màn màn jiù fàng qì le.Many students start learning a new language with great enthusiasm but slowly give up — a classic tiger's head, snake's tail.
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