成語 功虧一簣 英文翻譯

within an ace of winning

　　功虧一簣
 
Once a man planned to build a terrace.
古時，有一個人要築一座九仞（八尺=一仞）高的山。
 
He worked very hard and spent a lot of time digging and carrying earth.
他十分努力的建造這座山，並且花了很多時間挖土、搬運泥土。
 
When the mound was almost completed and only one more basket of earth was needed, the man gave up.
終於當山快要建成的時候，幾乎只差最後一籃子的泥土就行了的時候，他放棄了。
 
The terrace was never completed.
這座山便永遠無法完工。
 
This idiom means to fail to succeed for lack of final effort.
這個典故用以形容“離成功只有一步之遙，但最終失敗告終”的意思。