爱莫能助 (ài mò néng zhù) — (idiom) willing but unable to help; sympathetic inability to assist
Definition
A formal chengyu meaning 'I would help but I'm unable to' — used to politely express regret when you can't assist, not a request for help.
idiom
willing but unable to helpsympathetic inability to assist
Examples
- ，爱莫能助。Wǒ yě xiǎng bāng nǐ, dàn shí zài shì ài mò néng zhù.I'd like to help you too, but I really can't.
- 爱莫能助，。Zhè jiàn shì wǒ ài mò néng zhù, nǐ hái shì zhǎo bié rén ba.I'm willing but unable to help with this matter — you'd better ask someone else.
- 爱莫能助，。Kàn dào nǐ yǒu kùn nan wǒ què ài mò néng zhù, xīn lǐ hěn nán guò.Seeing you in trouble but being unable to help makes me very sad.
Appears in
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