前功尽灭 — “Previous achievements completely obliterated”
前功尽灭 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “All one's previous achievements or efforts are completely wasted or undone; all past work comes to naught”. Literally, “Previous achievements completely obliterated”.
前功尽灭 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 前qián
- 功gōng
- 尽jìn
- 灭miè
前功尽灭 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 前功尽灭
Origin and Story of 前功尽灭
Towards the end of the Warring States period, Su Li, a master of diplomatic strategy, attempted to persuade King Hao of Zhou to prevent Qin's general Bai Qi from attacking Daliang, the capital of Wei.
Su Li warned that if Daliang were lost, the Zhou dynasty itself would be imperiled.
He then brought up the example of Yang Youji, a renowned archer from the State of Chu, who was famous for his perfect aim. Yang Youji could hit the target ninety-nine times, but if he missed just a single arrow, all his previous successes would be nullified.
However, Bai Qi disregarded Su Li's warnings and continued his campaigns of annexation.
Idioms Related to 前功尽灭
Synonyms of 前功尽灭
Antonyms of 前功尽灭
More idioms starting with 前
- qián前bù不bā巴cūn村，，hòu后bù不bā巴diàn店nowhere to go for help
- qián前bù不bā巴cūn村，，hòu后bù不zháo着diàn店stranded in the middle of nowhere
- qián前bù不zháo着cūn村，，hòu后bù不zháo着diàn店stranded without support
- qián前bù不jiàn见gǔ古rén人，，hòu后bù不jiàn见lái来zhě者unprecedented and peerless, profoundly alone
- qián前shì事bù不wàng忘，，hòu后shì事zhī之shī师Learn from the past to guide the future
- qián前rén人shī失jiǎo脚，，hòu后rén人bǎ把huá滑learn from others' mistakes
- qián前rén人zāi栽shù树，，hòu后rén人chéng乘liáng凉Later generations benefit from earlier efforts
- qián前rén人zhǒng种dé德hòu后rén人shōu收Later generations benefit from ancestors' virtues
- qián前rén人zhòng种shù树，，hòu后rén人chéng乘liáng凉Later generations benefit from previous efforts
- qián前pū仆hòu后jì继fall and follow in a continuous effort
- qián前pū仆hòu后qǐ起one falls, another rises
- qián前pú仆hòu后bó踣fall one after another
Questions about 前功尽灭
- What does 前功尽灭 mean?
- 前功尽灭 (qián gōng jìn miè) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “All one's previous achievements or efforts are completely wasted or undone; all past work comes to naught”.
- How do you pronounce 前功尽灭?
- 前功尽灭 is pronounced qián gōng jìn miè in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 前功尽灭 literally mean?
- Literally, 前功尽灭 means “Previous achievements completely obliterated”. It is used to mean “All one's previous achievements or efforts are completely wasted or undone; all past work comes to naught”.
- Where does 前功尽灭 come from?
- 前功尽灭 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 前功尽灭?
- 以前取得的功劳全部丢掉了。同“前功尽弃”。