expression, godan verb (-ku)
to fail one step short of great success; to fall at the last hurdle
A classical Chinese idiom (故事成語) used to describe a situation where a great undertaking fails just before completion due to a small final mistake or lack of effort. Highly literary and rarely used in everyday conversation.
The classical idiom 'to fail one step short of great success' warns against ruining a great undertaking by neglecting the final small effort.