Dictionary › 成事不足，败事有余

成事不足，败事有余

chéng shì bù zú , bài shì yǒu yú

9-character word Traditional 成事不足，敗事有餘

What 成事不足，败事有余 means

1. unable to accomplish anything but liable to spoil everything (idiom)
2. unable to do anything right
3. never make, but always mar

The characters in 成事不足，败事有余

• 成chéngto succeed; to finish; to complete
• 事shìmatter; thing; item
• 不bùno; not so; (bound form) not; un-
• 足zú(bound form) foot; leg; sufficient; ample; as much as; fully
• 败bàito defeat; to damage; to lose (to an opponent)
• 事shìmatter; thing; item
• 有yǒuto have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意
• 余yú(literary) I; me; variant of 余

Go deeper

• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read chéng shì bù zú , bài shì yǒu yú correctly.
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