gōng功achievementchéng成completemíng名namejiù就established
Achievement made, name established — success and recognition both arrived.
Literal meaning
achievement (功) — complete (成) — name (名) — established (就)
Origin
A late-imperial phrase capturing the Confucian ideal of a complete career: 功 (real accomplishment) plus 名 (public recognition). Both are required — pure private accomplishment without recognition (or vice versa) doesn't qualify.
Examples
Tā他gōng功chéng成míng名jiù就zhī之hòu后，huí回dào到le了jiā家xiāng乡。
After he'd made his name and his fortune, he returned home.
Gōng chéng míng jiù de rén yǒu shí fǎn'ér gèng qiānxū.功成名就的人有时反而更谦虚。
Successful people are sometimes more humble than the up-and-comers.
Usage & nuances
Formal-ish register. Often used in retrospective tone — looking back on a completed arc rather than mid-stream.
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