Dictionary › 功亏一篑

功亏一篑

gōng kuī yī kuì

4-character word Traditional 功虧一簣

What 功亏一篑 means

1. lit. to ruin the enterprise for the sake of one basketful
2. to fail through lack of a final effort
3. to spoil the ship for a ha'penny worth of tar (idiom)

The characters in 功亏一篑

• 功gōngmeritorious deed or service; achievement; result
• 亏kuīto lose (money); to have a deficit; to be deficient; to treat unfairly
• 一yīone; single; a (article)
• 篑kuìbasket for carrying soil