fail at the last moment; fall short of success
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
to fail when success is within reach; to suffer defeat on the verge of victory
formalExpresses regret or pity about a failure occurring when success was imminent. Often used in formal writing, news reports, and literary contexts to describe projects, careers, or competitions that ended in disappointment.
Tā他
men们
zài在
jué决
sài赛
zhōng中
gōng功
bài败
chuí垂
chéng成
，
zhǐ只
chà差
yī一
qiú球
jiù就
néng能
duó夺
guàn冠
。
They failed at the last moment in the finals, missing the championship by just one goal.
Zhè这
xiàng项
yán研
jiū究
yǐ已
jīng经
jìn进
xíng行
le了
shí十
nián年
，
bù不
néng能
yīn因
wéi为
zī资
jīn金
wèn问
tí题
ér而
gōng功
bài败
chuí垂
chéng成
。
This research has been ongoing for ten years; it cannot fall short of success due to funding issues.
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Tā他
běn本
lái来
yǒu有
wàng望
chéng成
wéi为
CEOC
kěE
xīO
，
zuì可
hòu惜
gōng最
bài后
chuí功
chéng败
垂
成
。
He was originally expected to become the CEO, but unfortunately failed at the last hurdle.