独木难支 dú mù nán zhī One tree cannot support

Explanation

一根木头支撑不起高大的房屋，比喻一个人的力量薄弱，难以支撑全局。

A single wooden beam cannot support a large house. It is a metaphor for the weakness of a single person who cannot support the whole.

Origin Story

传说很久以前，崂山有个叫铁拐李的修道之人，他年轻时拜师学艺，学成下山后发现家乡闹旱灾，哥哥饿死，嫂子靠吃屋顶的茅草艰难地生存着。铁拐李决心用自己的道法济世救人，他来到河边，拾起一块形状奇特的石头，准备施法变出粮食。他在地上画了一个圈，然后将石头放在圈中，口中念念有词。可是，无论他怎样努力，都无法让石头变成粮食，他甚至用脚踩着石头，想要用自己的力量将石头压碎，可是石头纹丝不动。这时，他的嫂子走了过来，看见他这样费力，忍不住说道：“你这样单打独斗，怎么能改变这旱灾的局面呢？这就像一根木头，怎么能支撑起倒塌的大厦？”,

chuán shuō hěn jiǔ yǐ qián, láo shān yǒu gè jiào tiě guǎi lǐ de xiū dào zhī rén, tā nián qīng shí bài shī xué yì, xué chéng xià shān hòu fā xiàn gōng xiāng nào hàn zāi, gē ge è sǐ, sǎo zi kào chī wū dǐng de máo cǎo jiān nán de shēng cún zhe. tiě guǎi lǐ jué xīn yòng zì jǐ de dào fǎ jì shì jiù rén, tā lái dào hé biān, shí qǐ yī kuài xíng zhuàng qí tè de shí tou, zhǔn bèi shī fǎ biàn chū liáng shí. tā zài dì shàng huà le yī gè quān, rán hòu jiāng shí tou fàng zài quān zhōng, kǒu zhōng niàn niàn yǒu cí. kěshì, wú lùn tā zěn yàng nǔ lì, dōu wú fǎ ràng shí tou biàn chéng liáng shí, tā shèn zhì yòng jiǎo cǎi zhe shí tou, xiǎng yào yòng zì jǐ de lì liàng jiāng shí tou yā suì, kěshì shí tou wén sī bù dòng. zhè shí, tā de sǎo zi zǒu le guò lái, kàn jiàn tā zhè yàng fèi lì, rěn bù zhù shuō dào: “nǐ zhè yàng dān dǎ dú dòu, zěn me néng gǎi biàn zhè hàn zāi de jú miàn ne? zhè jiù xiàng yī gēn mù tou, zěn me néng zhī chēng qǐ dǎo tā de dà shà?”,

Legend has it that a long time ago, there was a Taoist named Tieguai Li in Laoshan. After completing his studies, he returned home and found his hometown suffering from drought, where his brother starved to death, and his sister-in-law was struggling to survive. He decided to use his magical abilities to save the people. He came to the river, picked up a strangely shaped stone, and prepared to perform magic to create food. He drew a circle on the ground, placed the stone in the circle, and muttered spells. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't turn the stone into food. He even tried stepping on the stone, wanting to use his strength to crush it, but the stone remained motionless. At this time, his sister-in-law came over, saw his efforts, and couldn't help but say: "How can you change the drought with such a single-handed effort? It's like a single wood trying to support a collapsing building."

Usage

用于比喻个人的力量单薄，难以支撑全局。常用于表达困境或无力感。

yòng yú bǐ yù gè rén de lì liàng dānbáo, nán yǐ zhī chēng quán jú. cháng yòng yú biǎo dá kùnjìng huò wú lì gǎn

Used to describe the weakness of a single person's power, making it difficult to support the overall situation. Often used to express difficulties or helplessness.

Examples

  • 面对如此复杂的局面，一个人独木难支，需要团队合作才能解决问题。

    miàn duì rú cǐ fù zá de jú miàn, yī gè rén dú mù nán zhī, xū yào tuán duì hé zuò cáinéng jiě jué wèntí

    In the face of such a complex situation, one person cannot do it alone; teamwork is needed to solve the problem.

  • 他试图独自承担所有责任，结果却独木难支，最终失败了。

    tā shì tú dú zì chéng dān suǒ yǒu zhí rèn, jié guǒ què dú mù nán zhī, zuì zhōng shī bài le

    He tried to shoulder all the responsibilities alone, but in the end he couldn't handle it and failed.

  • 公司面临危机，单靠一个人独木难支，必须寻求外部帮助。

    gōngsī miàn lín wēijī, dān kào yī gè rén dú mù nán zhī, bì xū xún qiú wài bù bāng zhù

    The company is facing a crisis; it cannot rely on just one person, it must seek external help..

Related Idioms

  • 力不从心

  • 孤掌难鸣

  • 势单力薄

Opposite Idioms

  • 齐心协力

  • 众志成城

  • 群策群力