📖 Meaning
This idiom means that if one wishes to be careful and thorough at the conclusion of an endeavor, one must exercise caution from the very start. It emphasizes that a prudent ending is only possible when prudence is practiced from the beginning. The phrase highlights the inseparable link between how something begins and how it ends.
📜 Origin Story
The concept underlying this idiom is rooted in classical Chinese philosophy, particularly the Daoist tradition found in the Daodejing (道德经) attributed to Laozi of the Spring and Autumn period. Chapter 64 of the Daodejing states, 'Be as careful at the end as at the beginning, and there will be no failed endeavors' (慎终如始，则无败事). The idiom 慎终于始 draws on this wisdom, rephrasing the idea to stress that caution at the end must originate from caution at the start. Over centuries, this principle was adopted into Confucian governance advice and personal conduct literature, reinforcing the importance of sustained diligence throughout any undertaking.
💡 Example Usage
项目负责人强调，凡事要慎终于始，从第一步起就严格把关。
The project manager stressed that one must be careful from start to finish, exercising strict oversight from the very first step.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 慎终于始
- Pinyin: shèn zhōng yú shǐ
- Literal Translation: careful, end, at, beginning
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4