不遗余力 (bù yí yú lì) — to spare no effort; to do one's utmost

Definition

A formal idiom meaning 'spare no effort' — used in writing or speech to praise someone's wholehearted commitment (e.g. 不遗余力地帮助).

idiom

to spare no effortto do one's utmost

不遗余力。
Tā bù yí yú lì dì bāng zhù yǒu xū yào de rén.
He spares no effort in helping those in need.
不遗余力。
Gōng sī duì zhè ge wèn tí bù yí yú lì dì diào chá.
The company investigates this problem with utmost effort.
不遗余力。
Lǎo shī bù yí yú lì dì jiào xué shēng zhī shi.
The teacher teaches students knowledge with all their effort.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 遺; 遗 is its simplified writing.

辶貴遺

Meaning part形符xíngfú

辶Written in full as辵chuòmove

Sound part声符shēngfú

貴

貴guì遺yí

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 遺 pairs 辶 (move) with 貴 as a sound part; the simplified 遗 is a shorthand, and its right side is not the old sound part.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 餘; 余 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

余

Same sound today

The traditional form 餘 pairs 食 (food) with 余 as its sound part; the simplified 余 is a later abbreviation.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

力 is drawn as either an arm bending out from the side of the body or a wooden plough.

Appears in