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力不从心 (lì bù cóng xīn) — (idiom) to have one's ability fall short of one's desire; the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak

Definition

Chengyu: your strength (力) cannot follow your heart/wish (心) — you want to do something but lack the energy or ability. Use it to describe a mismatch between ambition and capacity, often with a touch of helplessness.

idiom
to have one's ability fall short of one's desirethe spirit is willing but the flesh is weak

Examples

  • ，力不从心。
    Tā nián jì dà le, zuò jiā wù shí cháng cháng gǎn dào lì bù cóng xīn.
    He is old and often feels that his strength can't keep up with his wishes when doing housework.
  • ，力不从心。
    Wǒ yě xiǎng duō duàn liàn, kě shì zǒng lì bù cóng xīn.
    I also want to exercise more, but I always find myself unable to follow through.
  • ，力不从心。
    Zhè cì gōng zuò rèn wu hěn zhòng, tā zhēn shì lì bù cóng xīn a.
    This work task is very heavy; he really can't match his willpower with his ability.

Origin

Characters in this word

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.

Open 力 →

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.

Open 不 →

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 從; 从 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辵辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
从
从cóng從cóng
Same sound today

The traditional form 從 pairs 辵 (walk) with 从, which gives the sound; the character was originally written 从.

Open 从 →

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

The shape of 心 comes from a drawing of a heart, now highly stylized.

Open 心 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Idioms & Set Phrases

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