[Japanese Idioms by Flashcards]
有終の美を飾る
“to decorate the ending with beauty”
(to achieve something great just before the end [of one’s career], to end with a flourish, to go out with a bang)
Equivalent to the positive tone of “ending on a high note,” this expression refers to getting a well-deserved bump of recognition immediately before ending one’s career.
Sample text:
(Style: spoken/formal)
Kawamura sensei wa sanjuugonenkan ni watari, kyooiku hitosuji ni doryoku shite korare mashita ga, kondo zannenni mo taishoku nasaru koto ni narimashita. Sakunendo wa honkoo ga ongaku konkuuru de ken daiichi ni narimashita ga, kore wa hitoeni Kawamura sensei no go-shidoo ni yoru mono deshita. Masani yuushuu no bi o kazatte kudasatta wake de arimasu.
川村先生は三十五年間に渡り、教育一筋に努力してこられましたが、こん度残念にも退職なさることになりました。昨年度は本校が音楽コンクールで県第一位になりましたが、これはひとえに川村先生の御指導によるものでした。正に有終の美を飾ってくださったわけであります。
Mr. Kawamura has for 35 years dedicated himself to education, and now we are all sorry to learn that he is retiring. Last year our school ranked first in the prefectural music contest, this was all possible only because of his leadership. He certainly has ended his career with a flourish.
Japanese Idioms
