Everything has a beginning, but not everything ends well.

Everything has a beginning, but not everything ends well.

This is a line from The Book of Songs. It was originally a criticism of King Li (?-828 BC) of the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BC) by Duke Zhaomu (dates unknown). Everything has a beginning, but not everything ends well. This reminds people to begin well and end well.

Speaking at the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and World War II, held in September 2015, Xi Jinping said: As an ancient Chinese saying goes, "After making a good start, we should ensure that the cause comes to fruition." The rejuvenation of the Chinese nation requires the dedicated efforts of one generation after another. Having created a splendid civilization of over 5,000 years, the Chinese nation will certainly usher in an even brighter future.

靡不有初，鲜克有终

“靡不有初，鲜克有终”，出自《诗经》，是召穆公斥责昏庸无道的周厉王的一句话，意为凡事都有开始，但很少有人能够做到善终。这一理念告诫人们，为人做事要有始有终、善始善终。

2015年9月，习近平在纪念中国人民抗日战争暨世界反法西斯战争胜利70周年大会上引用“靡不有初，鲜克有终”，指明实现中华民族伟大复兴，需要一代又一代人为之努力。他强调，中华民族创造了具有5000多年历史的灿烂文明，也一定能够创造出更加灿烂的明天。