心有余而力不足

心有餘而力不足

xīnyǒuyú'érlìbùzú

idiom #47,178

Meanings

1 the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak
2 to have the desire but lack the strength
3 more willing than able

Characters

Examples

我也想帮你搬家，可惜心有余而力不足。

Wǒ yě xiǎng bāng nǐ bānjiā, kěxī xīnyǒuyú'érlìbùzú.

I'd love to help you move, but I'm willing in spirit, weak in body.

面对这么多任务，他感到心有余而力不足。

Miànduì zhème duō rènwù, tā gǎndào xīnyǒuyú'érlìbùzú.

Facing so many tasks, he felt his energy fell short of his ambition.

Tips

usage

Common polite refusal — softens 'no' by saying you want to help but truly cannot. The 而 makes the orthography require an apostrophe: yǒuyú'ér.

Stroke Order

心 xīn

有 yǒu

余 yú

而 ér

力 lì

不 bù

足 zú