The word 功败垂成 is formed through the literal combination of its four characters: 功 meaning "success", 败 meaning "failure", 垂 meaning "on the verge of", and 成 meaning "completion". The sequence sets 功败 as the core concept of failing success, modified by 垂成 to specify that this failure happens at the point of near completion, resulting in the overall meaning of a near-success that ultimately fails.