心有餘而力不足
简 心有余而力不足 · 繁 心有餘而力不足Meanings
- the will is there, but not the strength (idiom)
- the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak
Characters in this entry
- 心
- xīn · heart; mind, intelligence; soul; 5th lunar mansion, determinative star α Scorpii (Antares)
- 有
- yǒu · have, own, possess; exist
- 餘
- Look up this written character
- 而
- ér · and; and then; and yet; but; Kangxi radical 126
- 力
- lì · power, capability, influence; Kangxi radical 19
- 不
- bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
- 足
- zú · foot; attain, satisfy, enough; Kangxi radical 156
- 余
- yú · I, my, me; surname; surplus
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
1–3–2–2–4–4–2 · xin1 you3 yu2 er2 li4 bu4 zu2
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
Read this spelling in Classical texts
Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.
心有餘而力不足 · find source passages ↗ · 心有余而力不足 · find source passages ↗
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
sam1 jau5 jyu4 ji4 lik6 bat1 zuk1
Cantonese word readings for 心有餘而力不足. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
phrase
- (idiomatic) the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak; to be unable to do what one wants very much to do; to have the ambition but lack the ability
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack