From the Western Han Dynasty Liu Xiang's Warring States Policy Qin Ce Wu Hu Qin Wang: "Poetry" says:' Half a hundred miles is ninety. "This statement is difficult at the end of the road. Today, all kings are arrogant and look at it with the heart of the minister. Everything in the world depends on the heart of the world. If Chu does not attack, it must be in Qin. "

Translation: The Book of Songs says,' Walking a hundred miles, even if you walk 90 miles, is only half.' Emphasize that the last part of the road is difficult to walk. Nowadays, kings are often proud. I carefully observed what Fang did today, and according to the wishes of the governors, he was either jointly dealing with Chu or cleaning up Qin.

Extended data

Hundreds of miles away, most of them stop at 90 miles. Encourage people to do things in one go, don't give up halfway.

The closer the metaphor is to success, the more difficult it is, and the more serious it should be. Often used to encourage people to do things from beginning to end.

The meaning of the idiom can be understood literally, "He who walks a hundred miles is half of ninety", which means that he walked a hundred miles, but only walked half. The deeper meaning is that the closer it is to completion, the more difficult it is and the more critical it is. Many people are always ambitious at first, but as time goes on, they gradually lose their motivation, perseverance and determination. In the end, it was sloppy.

References:

Baidu Encyclopedia-Those who travel a hundred miles are half ninety.