1.
anticlimax; strong start, weak finish
Starting something impressively but ending weakly, like a creature with a dragon's head but a snake's tail.
あの映画は竜頭蛇尾だった。
That movie was anticlimactic—it started strong but ended weakly.
計画が竜頭蛇尾に終わった。
The plan ended in anticlimax.
竜頭蛇尾にならないように最後まで頑張ろう。
Let's work hard until the end so it doesn't fizzle out.
FOUR-CHARACTER IDIOM (四字熟語):
竜頭 (dragon's head) + 蛇尾 (snake's tail)
MEANING:
Describes anything that starts impressively but ends disappointingly—projects, speeches, novels, performances, etc.
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 竜頭蛇尾に終わる: to end in anticlimax
- 竜頭蛇尾にならないように: so as not to fizzle out
CONTRAST:
The opposite concept would be something that builds to a strong finish, though there isn't a standard four-character idiom for this.