📖 Meaning
The effort of one basket of earth—the final contribution needed to complete a task. It metaphorically refers to the last bit of effort required just before success is achieved, emphasizing that the final push is crucial.
📜 Origin Story
From the Complete Works of Wang Shouren (王守仁全集), Volume 1, by the Ming dynasty philosopher Wang Yangming (1472–1529). The original passage reads '务收一篑之功，勿为九仞之弃' — 'Strive to gain the achievement of the final basket of earth; do not abandon your work like an incomplete nine-rén wall.' This builds upon an earlier teaching in the Analects, where Confucius compares self-cultivation to piling up earth: stopping just one basket short of completion is one's own doing, as is pressing on to the end.
💡 Example Usage
研究工作已接近尾声，希望大家再坚持一下，争取一篑之功。
The research work is nearing completion; I hope everyone will persevere a little longer and secure that final push to success.
🏷️ Category
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➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 一篑之功
- Pinyin: yī kuì zhī gōng
- Literal Translation: one, earth basket, of, achievement
- Category: Perseverance
- Characters: 4