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行百里者半九十

xíngbǎilǐzhěbànjiǔshí
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 of a hundred-li journey, ninety li is only half
  2. 2 the final stretch is the hardest / don't slacken near the finish

Examples

行百里者半九十，最后阶段千万不能松懈。
Xíng bǎi lǐ zhě bàn jiǔ shí, zuìhòu jiēduàn qiānwàn bùnéng sōngxiè.
Ninety of a hundred li is only halfway — don't slacken in the final stretch.
项目接近收尾，但行百里者半九十，越到后面越要仔细。
Xiàngmù jiējìn shōuwěi, dàn xíng bǎi lǐ zhě bàn jiǔ shí, yuè dào hòumiàn yuè yào zǐxì.
The project is nearly done, but the final tenth is half the work — the closer we get, the more careful we must be.

Tips

history
From the 《战国策·秦策五》: 诗云‘行百里者半于九十。’此言末路之难也 — 'The Odes say "of a hundred li, ninety is half" — this speaks of the hardness of the final stretch.' A classical warning that the closer you are to the goal, the harder the last bit becomes. Often invoked by Wen Jiabao and later leaders on reform.
usage
Standard quotation in year-end speeches, project reviews, and reform-deepening rhetoric. The math is symbolic, not literal — the point is that the last 10% of a journey feels like half the effort.

Stroke Order

行 xíng
百 bǎi
里 lǐ
者 zhě
半 bàn
九 jiǔ
十 shí