篑 (kuì) - Kuì — a bamboo basket for carrying soil & often used metaphorically in idioms to mean a

篑Tone 4

kuì ｜ 15 strokes ｜ radical:

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篑 · kuì

Kuì — a bamboo basket for carrying soil;

often used metaphorically in idioms to mean a final effort or failure to complete a task.

Kuì — a bamboo basket for carrying soiloften used metaphorically in idioms to mean a

Usage highlights

Fail for lack of one basketSoil basketBamboo basketCarry basketsOne basket short

Synonyms

  • 篮— basket (general term)
  • 筐— basket, hamper

Antonyms

  • 成— success, completion
  • 全— complete, whole

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The project failed at the last step (功亏一篑).
  • They carried soil in bamboo baskets (运土之篑).
  • The final basket of earth was missing (未成一篑).

Collocations

  • Fail for lack of one basket(功亏一篑)
  • Soil basket(土篑)
  • Bamboo basket(竹篑)
  • Carry baskets(负篑)
  • One basket short(一篑之亏)

Idioms

  • Fall short of success for lack of a final effort(功亏一篑)
  • Nine仞高的山，缺一筐土(为山九仞，功亏一篑)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Derived from ancient Chinese construction where soil was carried in bamboo baskets.
  • The idiom 功亏一篑 originates from the ancient text 'Shang Shu' (Book of Documents), warning against giving up near completion.
  • Represents the importance of perseverance and completing tasks fully in Chinese culture.

FAQ