After King Wu of the Zhou Dynasty overthrew the Shang, his authority spread across the land, and smaller states from all directions came to pay tribute and pledge allegiance.
Even the distant Western Rong tribe sent an envoy to congratulate King Wu of Zhou, presenting a massive dog over four feet tall as a tribute. Delighted, King Wu ordered it kept in the palace.
Minister Zhao Gong stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this is due to your sage virtue! Thus, both near and distant lords and tribes come to pay tribute to the court. However, I believe Your Majesty should also bestow appropriate rewards upon them, to demonstrate your grace and benevolence!"
King Wu of Zhou nodded in approval and ordered several precious treasures to be bestowed upon the envoy from the Western Rong, instructing him to deliver them to the chieftain of the Western Rong.
Then, the Duke of Shao shifted his tone and said:
The advisor explained, "Playthings have no inherent value—worth comes from virtue, not the object itself. A wise ruler who treats people as toys loses his virtue; one who treasures rare curiosities loses his purpose. I urge you, Your Majesty, not to treat tribute items as playthings, for that is dangerous. More importantly, cherish wise ministers, for they build a prosperous state. Virtue is accumulated gradually, like piling a nine-ren mound—if you neglect the last basket of earth, all your effort collapses. Your Majesty, a sage ruler understands this: only by steadily cultivating virtue can you secure the realm."
King Wu of Zhou, upon hearing this, indeed ceased accepting tributes from various states and focused on governing the court, making the Zhou dynasty even stronger. Later, the idiom "to fall short of success for lack of a final basket of earth" came to be used as a metaphor for failing to complete something due to a lack of the final effort.
Source: *Book of Documents*, Chapter "Lü Ao"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "功亏一篑" came to describe how failing to complete something due to a lack of the final effort.