功败垂成

Origin and story

In volume 79 of the Book of Jin, the historian's concluding judgment praises Xie Xuan's civil and military abilities. It recalls his victories and his ambition to recover further northern territory, then laments that the larger plan was not fulfilled and that his life was too short. The exact expression describes achievement failing just when completion seemed near.

Although the passage sits within the Xie An biographical section, the person praised here is his nephew Xie Xuan. This is the historian's evaluation, not a remark the general is recorded as making. Chui means approaching: the idiom emphasizes how close a project was to success when it failed.