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心餘力絀

简心余力绌 · 繁心餘力絀

Mandarin · pinyin xīn yú lì chù

see 心有餘而力不足 xīn yǒu yú ér lì bù zú

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Characters in this entry

心: xīn · heart; mind, intelligence; soul; 5th lunar mansion, determinative star α Scorpii (Antares)
餘: Look up this written character
力: lì · power, capability, influence; Kangxi radical 19
絀: Look up this written character
余: yú · I, my, me; surname; surplus
绌: chù · sew, stitch; insufficient

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–2–4–4 · xin1 yu2 li4 chu4

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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.

心餘力絀 · find source passages ↗ · 心余力绌 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense

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

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