hữu thuỷ vô chung

== Vietnamese == === Etymology === Sino-Vietnamese word from 有始無終. === Pronunciation === (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [hiw˦ˀ˥ tʰwi˧˩ vo˧˧ t͡ɕʊwŋ͡m˧˧] (Huế) IPA(key): [hɨw˧˨ tʰwɪj˧˨ vow˧˧ t͡ɕʊwŋ͡m˧˧] (Saigon) IPA(key): [hɨw˨˩˦ tʰ⁽ʷ⁾ɪj˨˩˦ vow˧˧ cʊwŋ͡m˧˧] ~ [hɨw˨˩˦ tʰ⁽ʷ⁾ɪj˨˩˦ jow˧˧ cʊwŋ͡m˧˧] === Idiom === hữu thuỷ vô chung to have a beginning but not an end to start something but fail to carry it through; to begin well but end badly