"力不從心" meaning in Chinese

See 力不從心 in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Phrase

IPA: /li⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ t͡sʰʊŋ³⁵ ɕin⁵⁵/ [Mandarin, Standard-Chinese, Sinological-IPA], /lɪk̚² pɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰʊŋ²¹ sɐm⁵⁵/ [Cantonese, Guangzhou, Sinological-IPA], /liɪk̚⁴⁻³² put̚³²⁻⁴ t͡siɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ sim⁴⁴/ [Min-Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, IPA, Taipei], /liɪk̚⁴⁻³² put̚³²⁻⁴ t͡siɔŋ²⁴⁻²² sim⁴⁴/ [Min-Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, IPA], /liɪk̚⁴⁻³² put̚³²⁻⁴ t͡siɔŋ²³⁻³³ sim⁴⁴/ [Min-Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, IPA, Kaohsiung] Forms: 力不从心 [Simplified-Chinese]
Head templates: {{head|zh|idiom}} 力不從心
  1. to lack the ability to do what one wants; one's strength does not match one's ambitions; the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak Tags: idiomatic Synonyms: 心有餘而力不足 (xīn yǒuyú ér lì bùzú), 心有余而力不足 (xīn yǒuyú ér lì bùzú), 心餘力絀 (xīnyúlìchù), 心余力绌 (xīnyúlìchù)
{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "力不从心",
      "tags": [
        "Simplified-Chinese"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "zh",
        "2": "idiom"
      },
      "expansion": "力不從心",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Chinese",
  "lang_code": "zh",
  "literal_meaning": "strength does not follow the heart",
  "pos": "phrase",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Cantonese chengyu",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Chinese chengyu",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Chinese entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Hokkien chengyu",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Mandarin chengyu",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "to lack the ability to do what one wants; one's strength does not match one's ambitions; the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak"
      ],
      "id": "en-力不從心-zh-phrase-epYN1kfu",
      "links": [
        [
          "lack",
          "lack"
        ],
        [
          "ability",
          "ability"
        ],
        [
          "strength",
          "strength"
        ],
        [
          "ambition",
          "ambition"
        ],
        [
          "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak",
          "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "roman": "xīn yǒuyú ér lì bùzú",
          "word": "心有餘而力不足"
        },
        {
          "roman": "xīn yǒuyú ér lì bùzú",
          "word": "心有余而力不足"
        },
        {
          "roman": "xīnyúlìchù",
          "word": "心餘力絀"
        },
        {
          "roman": "xīnyúlìchù",
          "word": "心余力绌"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Pinyin"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "lìbùcóngxīn"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Bopomofo"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "ㄌㄧˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄘㄨㄥˊ ㄒㄧㄣ"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Jyutping"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "lik⁶ bat¹ cung⁴ sam¹"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Min-Nan",
        "Hokkien",
        "POJ"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "le̍k-put-chiông-sim"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Pinyin"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "lìbùcóngxīn"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Bopomofo"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "ㄌㄧˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄘㄨㄥˊ ㄒㄧㄣ"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Tongyong-Pinyin"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "lìbùcóngsin"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Wade-Giles"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "li⁴-pu⁴-tsʻung²-hsin¹"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Yale"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "lì-bù-tsúng-syīn"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Gwoyeu-Romatsyh"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "lihbutsorngshin"
    },
    {
      "roman": "libucunsinʹ",
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Palladius"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "либуцунсинь"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/li⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ t͡sʰʊŋ³⁵ ɕin⁵⁵/",
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Sinological-IPA"
      ]
    },
    {
      "raw_tags": [
        "Standard-Cantonese",
        "Hong Kong"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangzhou",
        "Jyutping"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "lik⁶ bat¹ cung⁴ sam¹"
    },
    {
      "raw_tags": [
        "Standard-Cantonese",
        "Hong Kong"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangzhou",
        "Yale"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "lihk bāt chùhng sām"
    },
    {
      "raw_tags": [
        "Standard-Cantonese",
        "Hong Kong"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangzhou",
        "Cantonese",
        "Pinyin"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "lik⁹ bat⁷ tsung⁴ sam¹"
    },
    {
      "raw_tags": [
        "Standard-Cantonese",
        "Hong Kong"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangzhou",
        "Guangdong-Romanization"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "lig⁶ bed¹ cung⁴ sem¹"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/lɪk̚² pɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰʊŋ²¹ sɐm⁵⁵/",
      "raw_tags": [
        "Standard-Cantonese",
        "Hong Kong"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangzhou",
        "Sinological-IPA"
      ]
    },
    {
      "raw_tags": [
        "General Taiwanese"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Min-Nan",
        "Hokkien",
        "Xiamen",
        "POJ"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "le̍k-put-chiông-sim"
    },
    {
      "raw_tags": [
        "General Taiwanese"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Min-Nan",
        "Hokkien",
        "Xiamen",
        "Tai-lo"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "li̍k-put-tsiông-sim"
    },
    {
      "raw_tags": [
        "General Taiwanese"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Min-Nan",
        "Hokkien",
        "Xiamen",
        "Phofsit-Daibuun"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "legputciongsym"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/liɪk̚⁴⁻³² put̚³²⁻⁴ t͡siɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ sim⁴⁴/",
      "raw_tags": [
        "General Taiwanese"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Min-Nan",
        "Hokkien",
        "Xiamen",
        "IPA",
        "Taipei"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/liɪk̚⁴⁻³² put̚³²⁻⁴ t͡siɔŋ²⁴⁻²² sim⁴⁴/",
      "raw_tags": [
        "General Taiwanese"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Min-Nan",
        "Hokkien",
        "Xiamen",
        "IPA"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/liɪk̚⁴⁻³² put̚³²⁻⁴ t͡siɔŋ²³⁻³³ sim⁴⁴/",
      "raw_tags": [
        "General Taiwanese"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Min-Nan",
        "Hokkien",
        "Xiamen",
        "IPA",
        "Kaohsiung"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "力不從心"
}
{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "力不从心",
      "tags": [
        "Simplified-Chinese"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "zh",
        "2": "idiom"
      },
      "expansion": "力不從心",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Chinese",
  "lang_code": "zh",
  "literal_meaning": "strength does not follow the heart",
  "pos": "phrase",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "Cantonese chengyu",
        "Cantonese idioms",
        "Cantonese lemmas",
        "Chinese chengyu",
        "Chinese entries with incorrect language header",
        "Chinese idioms",
        "Chinese lemmas",
        "Chinese terms spelled with 不",
        "Chinese terms spelled with 力",
        "Chinese terms spelled with 從",
        "Chinese terms spelled with 心",
        "Chinese terms with IPA pronunciation",
        "Hokkien chengyu",
        "Hokkien idioms",
        "Hokkien lemmas",
        "Mandarin chengyu",
        "Mandarin idioms",
        "Mandarin lemmas",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "to lack the ability to do what one wants; one's strength does not match one's ambitions; the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "lack",
          "lack"
        ],
        [
          "ability",
          "ability"
        ],
        [
          "strength",
          "strength"
        ],
        [
          "ambition",
          "ambition"
        ],
        [
          "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak",
          "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Pinyin"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "lìbùcóngxīn"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Bopomofo"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "ㄌㄧˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄘㄨㄥˊ ㄒㄧㄣ"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Jyutping"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "lik⁶ bat¹ cung⁴ sam¹"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Min-Nan",
        "Hokkien",
        "POJ"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "le̍k-put-chiông-sim"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Pinyin"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "lìbùcóngxīn"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Bopomofo"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "ㄌㄧˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄘㄨㄥˊ ㄒㄧㄣ"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Tongyong-Pinyin"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "lìbùcóngsin"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Wade-Giles"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "li⁴-pu⁴-tsʻung²-hsin¹"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Yale"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "lì-bù-tsúng-syīn"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Gwoyeu-Romatsyh"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "lihbutsorngshin"
    },
    {
      "roman": "libucunsinʹ",
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Palladius"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "либуцунсинь"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/li⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ t͡sʰʊŋ³⁵ ɕin⁵⁵/",
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Standard-Chinese",
        "Sinological-IPA"
      ]
    },
    {
      "raw_tags": [
        "Standard-Cantonese",
        "Hong Kong"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangzhou",
        "Jyutping"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "lik⁶ bat¹ cung⁴ sam¹"
    },
    {
      "raw_tags": [
        "Standard-Cantonese",
        "Hong Kong"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangzhou",
        "Yale"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "lihk bāt chùhng sām"
    },
    {
      "raw_tags": [
        "Standard-Cantonese",
        "Hong Kong"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangzhou",
        "Cantonese",
        "Pinyin"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "lik⁹ bat⁷ tsung⁴ sam¹"
    },
    {
      "raw_tags": [
        "Standard-Cantonese",
        "Hong Kong"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangzhou",
        "Guangdong-Romanization"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "lig⁶ bed¹ cung⁴ sem¹"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/lɪk̚² pɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰʊŋ²¹ sɐm⁵⁵/",
      "raw_tags": [
        "Standard-Cantonese",
        "Hong Kong"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangzhou",
        "Sinological-IPA"
      ]
    },
    {
      "raw_tags": [
        "General Taiwanese"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Min-Nan",
        "Hokkien",
        "Xiamen",
        "POJ"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "le̍k-put-chiông-sim"
    },
    {
      "raw_tags": [
        "General Taiwanese"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Min-Nan",
        "Hokkien",
        "Xiamen",
        "Tai-lo"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "li̍k-put-tsiông-sim"
    },
    {
      "raw_tags": [
        "General Taiwanese"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Min-Nan",
        "Hokkien",
        "Xiamen",
        "Phofsit-Daibuun"
      ],
      "zh_pron": "legputciongsym"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/liɪk̚⁴⁻³² put̚³²⁻⁴ t͡siɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ sim⁴⁴/",
      "raw_tags": [
        "General Taiwanese"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Min-Nan",
        "Hokkien",
        "Xiamen",
        "IPA",
        "Taipei"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/liɪk̚⁴⁻³² put̚³²⁻⁴ t͡siɔŋ²⁴⁻²² sim⁴⁴/",
      "raw_tags": [
        "General Taiwanese"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Min-Nan",
        "Hokkien",
        "Xiamen",
        "IPA"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/liɪk̚⁴⁻³² put̚³²⁻⁴ t͡siɔŋ²³⁻³³ sim⁴⁴/",
      "raw_tags": [
        "General Taiwanese"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Min-Nan",
        "Hokkien",
        "Xiamen",
        "IPA",
        "Kaohsiung"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "roman": "xīn yǒuyú ér lì bùzú",
      "word": "心有餘而力不足"
    },
    {
      "roman": "xīn yǒuyú ér lì bùzú",
      "word": "心有余而力不足"
    },
    {
      "roman": "xīnyúlìchù",
      "word": "心餘力絀"
    },
    {
      "roman": "xīnyúlìchù",
      "word": "心余力绌"
    }
  ],
  "word": "力不從心"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable Chinese dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-08-18 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-08-02 using wiktextract (0c45963 and 3c020d2). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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