孤掌难鸣 A single clap cannot make a sound
Explanation
比喻力量孤单,难以成事。一个巴掌拍不响。
It means that one cannot achieve anything with only one's own strength.
Origin Story
从前，在一个偏远的小村庄里，住着一位名叫阿福的年轻农民。阿福勤劳肯干，但他性格孤僻，不愿与村里其他人合作。他独自耕种，独自收获，独自生活。有一天，村里决定开垦一片新的土地，需要大家齐心协力。但阿福却认为自己一个人也能完成，拒绝了村民的邀请。他独自扛起锄头，挥汗如雨地工作，可是一天下来，却只完成了一小部分的工作。眼看着别的村民合作完成的工作，阿福开始感到焦虑。他尝试着向其他人寻求帮助，但却被拒绝了。因为先前阿福的孤傲，大家都不愿再与他合作。最终，阿福没能完成开垦土地的任务，独自一人沮丧地回到了家中。这次经历让阿福深刻地认识到：孤掌难鸣，合作才能成功。
Once upon a time, in a remote village, lived a young farmer named A Fu. A Fu was diligent and hardworking, but he was also a loner and unwilling to cooperate with others in the village. He cultivated alone, harvested alone, and lived alone. One day, the village decided to cultivate a new piece of land, which required everyone to work together. However, A Fu believed he could accomplish it alone and refused the villagers' invitation. He carried his hoe alone and worked in the scorching sun, but only managed to complete a small portion of the work by the end of the day. Seeing the progress of the other villagers' collaborative efforts, A Fu began to feel anxious. He tried to seek help from others, but was rejected. Due to A Fu's previous arrogance, everyone was unwilling to work with him again. In the end, A Fu failed to complete the land cultivation task and returned home dejected alone. This experience taught A Fu a valuable lesson: a single handclap cannot make a sound; cooperation leads to success.
Usage
用于形容一个人力量单薄，难以完成事情。
Used to describe someone who is too weak to accomplish something alone.
Examples
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他孤军奋战，孤掌难鸣，最终失败了。
tā gūjūnfènzhàn, gūzhǎng nánmíng, zuìzhōng shībàile
He fought alone, was powerless, and ultimately failed.
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这个项目需要团队合作，孤掌难鸣。
zhège xiàngmù xūyào tuánduì hézuò, gūzhǎng nánmíng
This project requires teamwork; it can't be done alone.