半途而废

bàn tú ér fèi
idiom★Intermediate— to give up halfway◆idiom
◆ What It Really Means
To give up or abandon a task before completing it, often due to lack of perseverance or motivation.
Literal Meaning
To abandon halfway
Literal Breakdown
半途halfway+而and+废abandon
◇ Mental Image
The mental image of someone starting a journey or task but stopping before reaching the destination, leaving it incomplete.
◈ When to Use
A student starts learning a new language but quits after a few months because they find it too challenging.
◉ Cultural Note
This idiom reflects the cultural value of perseverance and commitment in Chinese society, where completing tasks is often seen as a virtue.
informal

To abandon or give up a task, project, or endeavor before completing it.

很多学生在学习新技能时半途而废，因为缺乏坚持的动力。

Many students give up learning new skills halfway because they lack the motivation to persist.

💡

This idiom emphasizes the lack of perseverance and commitment in completing a task.

Related Phrases

坚持到底idiom
to persist until the end

💡Pro Tip

Usage Tip

This idiom is often used in both formal and informal contexts to express disappointment or criticism of someone's lack of perseverance.

📖Word Origin

The idiom combines the words 'halfway' (半途), 'and' (而), and 'abandon' (废) to describe the act of quitting before finishing a task.

📝Usage Notes

This idiom is commonly used to describe situations where someone starts a project or task but fails to see it through to completion due to lack of perseverance or motivation.

Word Breakdown

半途
halfway
root
+
而
and
conjunction
+
废
abandon
root
汉英词典