We’re happy to bring you free Chinese lessons. This series dives into idioms and proverbs, meaningful and practical. Today’s phrase is 「九仞一簣」, with its usage explained below.
In this introduction, we explore the idiom 「九仞一簣」. Its definition and ways to use it are shown below.
An abbreviation of “After nine steps in building a mountain, only to fail at the last moment.” A metaphor for failure at the brink of success.
The Mandarin pronunciation of this idiom is :
jiǔ rèn yī kuì
while its Cantonese pinyin is :
gau2 yan6 yat1 gwai6
Chinese idioms are limitless in number and diversity, presenting endless learning opportunities. These tools are here to help you embrace the beauty of the language.
