望其项背 catch up with; come near
Explanation
比喻赶得上或能与之相比。一般用于否定式，表示赶不上。
It means to catch up with or be comparable to someone. It is usually used in the negative to indicate that one cannot catch up.
Origin Story
话说唐朝时期，有个名叫李白的诗仙，他的诗歌才华横溢，无人能及。有一次，他参加宫廷诗会，众多文人墨客纷纷献上自己的作品，但都无法与李白的诗歌相媲美。他们的诗作，无论从意境、气势还是技巧上，都无法与李白的诗歌相提并论。人们叹服李白的才华，纷纷感慨道：‘李白诗才之高，后世难有望其项背者！’。
It is said that during the Tang Dynasty, there was a poet named Li Bai, whose poetic talent was unmatched. Once, he participated in a court poetry gathering, and many scholars offered their works, but none could compare to Li Bai's poems. Their poems, in terms of artistic conception, momentum, and technique, could not be compared to Li Bai's. People admired Li Bai's talent and sighed, 'Li Bai's poetic talent is so high, that later generations will hardly be able to match it!'.
Usage
用作谓语、定语；多用于否定句。
Used as a predicate and attributive; mostly used in negative sentences.
Examples
-
他的书法造诣之高，后辈难以望其项背。
tā de shūfǎ zàoyì zhī gāo, hòubèi nán yǐ wàng qí xiàng bèi
His calligraphy is so superb that later generations cannot match it.
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虽然他很努力，但与那些资深专家相比，还差得很远，难以望其项背。
suīrán tā hěn nǔlì, dàn yǔ nàxiē zīshēn zhuānjiā xiāngbǐ, hái chà de hěn yuǎn, nán yǐ wàng qí xiàng bèi
Although he works very hard, he is still far behind those senior experts and cannot match them.