行百里者半九十 xíng bǎi lǐ zhě bàn jiǔ shí

hardest part is near the end; don't relax early

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. lit. ninety li is merely a half of a hundred li journey (idiom)
  2. 2. fig. the closer one is to completing a task, the tougher it gets
  3. 3. a task is not done until it's done

Characters

Character Meaning
行 xíng HSK 3
all right; OK!; will do
百 bǎi HSK 2
hundred; numerous; all kinds of
里 lǐ HSK 1
inside; interior; internal
者 zhě HSK 3
(after a verb or adjective) one who (is) ...
半 bàn HSK 3
half; (after a number) and a half; semi-
九 jiǔ HSK 1
nine; 9
十 shí HSK 1
ten; 10