Once a man planned to build a terrace. He worked very hard and spent a lot of time digging and carrying earth. When the mound was almost completed and only one more basket of earth was needed, the man gave up. The terrace was never completed.
This idiom means to fail to succeed for lack of final effort. It has a connotition of pity.

古时，有一个人要筑一座九仞（八尺=一仞）高的山。他堆了一年又一年，不论严寒酷暑，废寝忘食地从远处挖土，再挑土，再堆到山包上，终于有一天，他就要完工了。这一天也如往常一样，鸡刚叫就起床开工，一筐又一筐，眼看着山就要9仞高了，只差一筐土的工夫。但他一摸肚子咕咕叫，天又下起雪来，认为只有一筐土，就回家去了。此后，他总认为只有一筐土而偷懒，所以这一筐土至死他也没堆上，终究这座只差一筐土的九仞高的山还是没有堆成（为山九仞，功亏一篑）。
“功亏一篑”一成语便出于此。

功亏一篑 (gōng kuī yī kuì)
【翻 译】to fail to build a mound for want of one final basket of earth.
【释 义】堆九仞高的山，只差一筐土而不能完成。比喻做事情只差最后一点没能完成。
【例 句】他参加一千公尺赛跑，一路领先，却想不到在接近终点时摔倒，真是功亏一篑。
【近义词】功败垂成、前功尽弃
【反义词】善始善终

Tags: Chinese Proverbs Chinese Literature