once a man planned to build a terrace1.
he worked very hard and spent a lot of time digging and carrying earth.
when the mound2 was almost completed and only one * basket of earth was needed, the man gave up.
the terrace was n*r completed.
this idiom means to fail to succeed for lack of final effort.
古时，有一个人要筑一座九仞（八尺=一仞）高的山。
他十分努力的建造这座山，并且花了很多时间挖土、搬运泥土。
终于当山快要建成的时候，几乎只差*后一篮子的泥土就行了的时候，他放弃了。
这座山便永远无法完工。
这个典故用以形容“离成功只有一步之遥，但*终失败告终”的意思。
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