Chinese word

虎头蛇尾

Pronunciation

Pinyinhǔ tóu shé wěi

Meaning

  • idiomstart strong and finish weak

Example

这次活动开场很热闹，结果虎头蛇尾了。zhè cì huó dòng kāi chǎng hěn rè nào jié guǒ hǔ tóu shé wěi le

This event started with a lot of excitement but ended on a weak note.

Illustration for 虎头蛇尾 (start strong and finish weak)

More examples

他学外语经常虎头蛇尾，几个月后就不练了。tā xué wài yǔ jīng cháng hǔ tóu shé wěi jǐ gè yuè hòu jiù bú liàn le

He often starts strong and finishes weak when studying foreign languages, then stops practicing after a few months.

Core concept

A showy front tapers into an insubstantial tail, leaving the result much weaker than its opening promise.

Common phrases

  • 学习虎头蛇尾xué xí hǔ tóu shé wěi

    study starts strong and finishes weak

Similar words

半途而废bàn tú ér fèi: Stopping partway through a task and leaving it unfinished.
有始无终yóu shǐ wú zhōng: Starting something but not carrying it through to the end.
雷声大雨点小léi shēng dà yǔ diǎn xiǎo: Making a big show or promise but producing little real action or result.
三天打鱼两天晒网sān tiān dǎ yú liǎng tiān shài wǎng: Working in fits and starts, with repeated breaks that prevent steady progress.

Definition in Chinese

比喻事情开始时声势很大，后来逐渐平淡，最后草率或无果地结束。bǐ yù shì qíng kāi shǐ shí shēng shì hěn dà hòu lái zhú jiàn píng dàn zuì hòu cǎo shuài huò wú guǒ dì jié shù

Word origin

The idiom combines 虎 (hǔ, "tiger") + 头 (tóu, "head") with 蛇 (shé, "snake") + 尾 (wěi, "tail") to picture something that begins with the force of a tiger but ends with only a snake's thin tail.

Usage tips

  • It usually judges the overall result rather than a temporary lull, making it useful when an event or project ends without a satisfying payoff.

Opposites

Word lists with this word