行百里者半九十 in English xing2 bai3 li3 zhe3 ban4 jiu3 shi2 Meaning

Meanings

  • literally (word for word) ninety li is merely a half of a hundred li journey (idiomatic expression)
  • metaphorically the closer one is to completing a task, the tougher it gets
  • a task is not done until it's done

Simplified Characters

行 百 里 者 半 九 十

Traditional Characters

行 百 里 者 半 九 十

Pinyin

xing2 bai3 li3 zhe3 ban4 jiu3 shi2

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

行xing2row 百bai3surname Bai 里li3variant of 裡|里[li3] 者zhe3(after a verb or adjective) one who (is) ... 半ban4half 九jiu3nine 十shi2ten