心有余而力不足 xin you yu er li bu zu the will is there, but the strength is lacking

Explanation

表达了想做但能力不够的无奈心情。

Expresses the helplessness of wanting to do something but not having the ability.

Origin Story

从前，在一个偏僻的小山村里，住着一位心地善良的老奶奶。老奶奶一生勤劳朴实，靠着自己辛勤的双手养活自己和孙子小明。小明从小就聪明伶俐，很孝顺老奶奶。他一直盼望着长大后能为老奶奶分忧解难，让她过上好日子。然而，命运弄人，小明在七岁那年不幸患上了一种怪病，导致身体虚弱，行动不便。尽管老奶奶想尽一切办法为小明治病，但小明的病情始终不见好转。他日渐消瘦，无法像其他孩子那样跑跳玩耍，更无法帮助老奶奶做家务。小明看着老奶奶日渐苍老的容颜，心里充满了愧疚和自责。他多么希望能帮老奶奶减轻负担，让她过上轻松快乐的生活，可是他的身体却让他心有余而力不足。每天，他只能默默地坐在老奶奶身边，看着老奶奶忙碌的身影，心里默默祈祷，希望自己早日康复，能够报答老奶奶的养育之恩。

congqian,zaiyigepianpixiaoshancunli,zhuzhey weixingdi shangliangdelaonainai.laonainaiyisheng qinlaopushi,kaozhe zijixinqin deshouxiang yanghuo zijihe sunzi xiaoming.xiaoming congxiaojiu congminglingli,henxiaoshun laonainai.ta yizhi panwangzhe zhangda hou neng wei laonainai fenyou jienan,rang ta guoshang haorizi.raner,mingyun nongren,xiaomingzai qisuinian neixingfu huanshang yizhong guaibing,daozhi shenti xuoruo,xingdong bu bian.jin guan laonainai xiangjin yiqie banfa wei xiaoming zhibing,dan xiaoming de bingqing shizhong bujian haozhuan.ta rijianxiaoshou,wufaxiang qita haizi nayang paotio wan shua,geng wufa bangzhu laonainai zuo jiawu.xiaoming kanzhe laonainai rijian canglao derongyan,xinli chongman le kuijiu he zize.ta duome shengwang neng bang laonainai jianqing fudan,rang ta guoshang qingsong kuaile desheng huo,keshi tashen ti que rang ta xinyu erli buzu.meitian,ta zhi neng momodi zuozai laonainai shenbian,kanzhe laonainai manglu deshenying,xinli momi qidao,xifang zijizao ri kangfu,nenggou baodalaonainai de yangyu zhi en.

Once upon a time, in a remote mountain village, there lived a kind old woman. The old woman lived a hardworking and simple life, supporting herself and her grandson, Xiao Ming, with her own hands. Xiao Ming was smart and clever since childhood, and he was very filial to his grandmother. He always hoped that when he grew up, he could share the burden for his grandmother and let her live a good life. However, fate played a trick. At the age of seven, Xiao Ming unfortunately contracted a strange disease that caused him to become weak and unable to move around easily. Although his grandmother tried everything to treat Xiao Ming's illness, his condition never improved. He gradually became thinner and could not run, jump, and play like other children, nor could he help his grandmother with housework. Xiao Ming watched his grandmother's aging face and felt full of guilt and self-blame. He wished so much that he could help reduce his grandmother's burden and let her live a relaxed and happy life, but his body made him unable to do so. Every day, he could only sit silently beside his grandmother, watching his grandmother's busy figure, silently praying that he would recover soon and be able to repay his grandmother's kindness.

Usage

常用作谓语、宾语；形容有心无力。

changyong zuo weiyubingyu;xingrong youxin wuli

Often used as predicate and object; describes the helplessness of wanting to do something but not being able to.

Examples

• 小明很想帮助那些需要帮助的人，但他心有余而力不足。

  xiaoming hen xiang bangzhu naxie xuyao bangzhu de ren, dan ta xinyu erli buzu

  Xiao Ming really wants to help those in need, but he lacks the strength.

• 这次任务虽然艰难，但是我们尽力而为，即使心有余而力不足，也要坚持到底。

  zici renwu suiran jiannan, danshi women jinli er wei, jishi xinyu erli buzu, ye yao jianchi daodi

  Though this task is difficult, we do our best and persevere even if we are not strong enough.

Related Idioms

• 爱莫能助

• 力不从心

Opposite Idioms

• 行有余力

• 轻而易举