送佛送到西

Origin and story

This is a shortened form of 'escort the Buddha all the way to the Western Heaven.' The religious imagery supplies a far destination; the practical lesson is to carry help through to completion. In chapter 9 of the Qing novel Ernü Yingxiong Zhuan, the longer saying is used when someone who came to rescue the young Master An is urged to finish helping him. It is already a figurative appeal within an ordinary conversation, not the account of an actual journey with a Buddha. People now use it, often warmly or jokingly, when asking someone not to stop halfway through a helpful task.