半途而废

• Pinyin: bàn tú ér fèi
• Hanzi breakdown: 半 = half; 途 = journey/road; 而 = and then; 废 = to abandon/waste

Meaning

To give up halfway; to leave something unfinished; to abandon midway.

A classical idiom criticizing the act of giving up before completing something. Implies lack of perseverance and is generally used as a warning or criticism.

Examples

1. 学语言最忌讳半途而废，必须坚持到底。 The worst thing when learning a language is to give up halfway — you must persist to the end.
2. 他做事总是半途而废，从来没有一件事做到底。 He always abandons things midway and never sees anything through to completion.
3. 创业这条路很难走，但绝不能半途而废。 The path of entrepreneurship is tough, but you absolutely cannot quit halfway.

Usage Guide

Context: encouragement, criticism

Tone: admonishing

Do Say

• 千万别半途而废。(Whatever you do, don't give up halfway.)
• 坚持下去，不要半途而废。(Keep going — don't quit midway.)

Don't Say

• 用'半途而废'形容明智的及时止损 (Don't use 半途而废 for wise decisions to cut losses — it implies negative abandonment)

Origin & History

From classical Chinese: 半途 (halfway) + 而 (and then) + 废 (to abandon). To abandon something in the middle of the journey.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical idiom

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal