qiángōngjìnqì: 前功尽弃 - All Previous Efforts Wasted

• Keywords: qiangongjinqi, 前功尽弃, chengyu, Chinese idiom, all for nothing, efforts wasted, give up at the last minute, undo past work, perseverance in Chinese, Chinese proverb about failure.
• Summary: Learn the common Chinese idiom (chengyu) 前功尽弃 (qiángōngjìnqì), which means “all previous efforts are wasted” or “all for nothing”. This guide explores the meaning, cultural context, and practical usage of this powerful phrase. Understand how to use it to describe situations where hard work is undone by a last-minute mistake or by giving up, and learn why it's a powerful warning about the importance of perseverance in Chinese culture.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): qián gōng jìn qì
• Part of Speech: Chengyu (四字成语, four-character idiom); functions as a verb phrase.
• HSK Level: HSK 6
• Concise Definition: To have all previous hard work, achievements, and efforts completely wasted or abandoned.
• In a Nutshell: Imagine spending a week building an elaborate sandcastle, only for a big wave to wash it away just as you're placing the final flag. That feeling of total loss, where all your hard work has been completely undone, is the essence of 前功尽弃. It's a powerful and dramatic phrase that expresses deep disappointment and serves as a strong warning against giving up when you're close to the finish line.

• 前 (qián): Before, previous, in front.
• 功 (gōng): Achievement, merit, effort, work. This is the same “gong” as in 功夫 (gōngfu).
• 尽 (jìn): Completely, to exhaust, to use up entirely.
• 弃 (qì): To abandon, to discard, to give up.

Together, the characters literally translate to: “Previous (前) achievements/efforts (功) are completely (尽) abandoned (弃).” The meaning is very direct and clear from its components.

前功尽弃 is more than just a phrase; it's a cultural warning deeply embedded in the Chinese emphasis on perseverance (坚持, jiānchí) and diligence (勤奋, qínfèn). Chinese culture highly values seeing a task through to its conclusion, believing that the final steps are as critical as the first. This idiom acts as a cautionary tale against complacency, laziness, or losing focus just before success is achieved. A Western concept that touches on a similar idea is “to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.” However, there's a key difference. The Western phrase often implies a single, catastrophic mistake at the very end (like a fumbled ball on the goal line). In contrast, 前功尽弃 is broader. It can describe that same last-minute mistake, but it's also frequently used to describe the act of simply giving up or abandoning a project after significant progress has been made. The core emotion is the tragic waste of all the valuable effort that came before. It’s a powerful motivator to keep going, no matter how tired you are.

This is a formal idiom (Chengyu) but is widely understood by all native speakers. You'll hear it in business meetings, academic discussions, and serious conversations among friends and family.

• In Business and Projects: It's used to warn a team not to get complacent. “We've come so far, let's not make a careless mistake now and let all our work be 前功尽弃.”
• In Personal Encouragement: A friend might use it to motivate you: “You've been dieting for three months! Don't eat that cake, or all your progress will be 前功尽弃!”
• In Expressing Regret: It's often used to look back on a failed endeavor with a sense of disappointment. “I studied for the test for weeks, but I overslept and missed it. Truly 前功尽弃.”

The connotation is almost always negative, highlighting a sense of loss, frustration, and wasted potential.

• Example 1:
  • 我们为这个项目付出了这么多，现在放弃就等于前功尽弃。
  • Pinyin: Wǒmen wèi zhège xiàngmù fùchūle nàme duō, xiànzài fàngqì jiù děngyú qiángōngjìnqì.
  • English: We've put so much into this project; giving up now would mean all our previous efforts are wasted.
  • Analysis: A classic example used in a business or team setting to argue against abandoning a project.
• Example 2:
  • 你一定要坚持下去，不然之前的努力就都前功尽弃了。
  • Pinyin: Nǐ yīdìng yào jiānchí xiàqù, bùrán zhīqián de nǔlì jiù dōu qiángōngjìnqì le.
  • English: You have to keep persevering, otherwise all your previous efforts will have been for nothing.
  • Analysis: This is a common sentence structure for giving encouragement or a warning. The addition of “都 (dōu)” emphasizes “all” the effort.
• Example 3:
  • 他减肥三个月瘦了十公斤，结果一生病，食欲大开，几周就前功尽弃。
  • Pinyin: Tā jiǎnféi sān gè yuè shòule shí gōngjīn, jiéguǒ yī shēngbìng, shíyù dà kāi, jǐ zhōu jiù qiángōngjìnqì.
  • English: He lost 10 kilograms after dieting for three months, but then he got sick, his appetite returned, and in a few weeks all his progress was undone.
  • Analysis: Shows how the idiom can describe a situation where progress is reversed, not just abandoned.
• Example 4:
  • 球队在最后一分钟丢了一个球，导致了整场比赛的前功尽弃。
  • Pinyin: Qiúduì zài zuìhòu yī fēnzhōng diūle yīgè qiú, dǎozhìle zhěng chǎng bǐsài de qiángōngjìnqì.
  • English: The team conceded a goal in the final minute, causing all their efforts throughout the match to come to nothing.
  • Analysis: This is a perfect example of “snatching defeat from the jaws of victory,” where one final event ruins everything.
• Example 5:
  • 如果最后一步出错了，我们所有的研究都可能前功尽弃。
  • Pinyin: Rúguǒ zuìhòu yī bù chūcuò le, wǒmen suǒyǒu de yánjiū dōu kěnéng qiángōngjìnqì.
  • English: If there's a mistake in the final step, all of our research could be completely wasted.
  • Analysis: Highlights the high stakes and the importance of carefulness until the very end, common in scientific or technical contexts.
• Example 6:
  • 学中文需要耐心，如果半途而废，就会前功尽弃。
  • Pinyin: Xué Zhōngwén xūyào nàixīn, rúguǒ bàntú'érfèi, jiù huì qiángōngjìnqì.
  • English: Learning Chinese requires patience; if you give up halfway, all your prior effort will be for nothing.
  • Analysis: This sentence links 前功尽弃 directly to its common cause: 半途而废 (bàntú'érfèi) - giving up halfway.
• Example 7:
  • 只要我们再多坚持一天，就能成功，现在撤退岂不是前功尽弃？
  • Pinyin: Zhǐyào wǒmen zài duō jiānchí yītiān, jiù néng chénggōng, xiànzài chètuì qǐbùshì qiángōngjìnqì?
  • English: We'll succeed if we just hold on for one more day; wouldn't retreating now mean all our past efforts are wasted?
  • Analysis: The rhetorical question “岂不是 (qǐbùshì)…?” makes the statement more persuasive and emotional.
• Example 8:
  • 忘了备份文件，电脑一坏，我写了一周的报告就这么前功尽弃了。
  • Pinyin: Wàngle bèifèn wénjiàn, diànnǎo yī huài, wǒ xiěle yīzhōu de bàogào jiù zhème qiángōngjìnqì le.
  • English: I forgot to back up the file, and the computer broke. Just like that, the report I spent a week writing was all for nothing.
  • Analysis: A very relatable, modern example of how a single oversight can lead to this outcome.
• Example 9:
  • 这位艺术家对作品要求极高，常因一点瑕疵就将整个作品毁掉，不惜前功尽弃。
  • Pinyin: Zhè wèi yìshùjiā duì zuòpǐn yāoqiú jí gāo, cháng yīn yīdiǎn xiácī jiù jiāng zhěnggè zuòpǐn huǐ diào, bùxī qiángōngjìnqì.
  • English: This artist has extremely high standards for his work and often destroys an entire piece because of one small flaw, not hesitating to let all previous efforts go to waste.
  • Analysis: Shows that the “abandonment” can be a deliberate, if painful, choice. The phrase “不惜 (bùxī)” means “to not shrink from” or “to not hesitate to.”
• Example 10:
  • 将军的一个错误决定，使得整个战役前功尽弃。
  • Pinyin: Jiāngjūn de yīgè cuòwù juédìng, shǐdé zhěnggè zhànyì qiángōngjìnqì.
  • English: A single wrong decision by the general caused the efforts of the entire military campaign to be wasted.
  • Analysis: A formal and historical context, demonstrating the idiom's use in serious, large-scale situations.

• Don't use it for minor setbacks. This idiom is for significant, often total, loss of progress. If you study for a quiz and get a B instead of an A, that's a disappointment, but it's not 前功尽弃. If you study all semester but miss the final exam and fail the course, that *is* 前功尽弃. The scale of the “wasted effort” must be substantial.
• It's about the past, not the future. The focus of 前功尽弃 is the tragic loss of *past* work. It is different from saying “it's impossible” or “we will fail.” It is a statement of consequence, not prediction.
• False Friend: “All for nothing.” While this is a good translation, the Chinese term carries a stronger cultural weight. It's not just a neutral observation of a bad outcome. It often functions as a moral lesson: “This is what happens when you don't persevere.” The feeling is less about simple futility and more about the tragedy of squandered effort.

• 半途而废 (bàn tú ér fèi) - To give up halfway. This is the *action* that often leads to the *result* of 前功尽弃.
• 功亏一篑 (gōng kuī yī kuì) - To fall short of success by just one step (lit. “to ruin a nine-ren mound for want of one final basket of earth”). This is a very close synonym but specifically emphasizes being tantalizingly close to the finish line.
• 坚持不懈 (jiān chí bù xiè) - To persevere unremittingly; to be persistent. This is the direct antonym and the virtue one should practice to avoid 前功尽弃.
• 善始善终 (shàn shǐ shàn zhōng) - To start well and end well; to see something through to a good conclusion. This is the ideal positive outcome and the opposite scenario of 前功尽弃.
• 付之东流 (fù zhī dōng liú) - To be lost forever; to come to nothing (lit. “to give to the east-flowing stream”). A very close, but more literary, synonym for efforts being wasted.
• 徒劳无功 (tú láo wú gōng) - To work in vain; a fruitless effort. This implies that the effort was perhaps hopeless or pointless from the very beginning, whereas 前功尽弃 implies the effort was valuable and was on the path to success before being lost.