用英語說成語:功虧一簣（雙語）

  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.

古時，有一個人要筑一座九仞(八尺=一仞)高的山。他堆了一年又一年，不論嚴寒酷暑，廢寢忘食地從遠處挖土，再挑土，再堆到山包上，終于有一天，他就要完工了。這一天也如往常一樣，雞剛叫就起床開工，一筐又一筐，眼看著山就要9仞高了，只差一筐土的工夫。但他一摸肚子咕咕叫，天又下起雪來，認為只有一筐土，就回家去了。此后，他總認為只有一筐土而偷懶，所以這一筐土至死他也沒堆上，終究這座只差一筐土的九仞高的山還是沒有堆成(為山九仞，功虧一簣)。

“功虧一簣”一成語便出于此。

功虧一簣 【翻 譯】to fail to build a mound for want of one final basket of earth.