功亏一篑 in English gong1 kui1 yi1 kui4 Meaning
Meanings
- literally (word for word) to ruin the enterprise for the sake of one basketful
- to fail through lack of a final effort
- to spoil the ship for a ha'penny worth of tar (idiomatic expression)
Pinyin
gong1 kui1 yi1 kui4Literal
Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.
功 亏 一 篑