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量力而行

Mandarin · pinyin liàng lì ér xíng

to assess one's capabilities and act accordingly (idiom); to act within one's competence
One does what one can.

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Characters in this entry

量: liàng · measure, quantity, capacity
力: lì · power, capability, influence; Kangxi radical 19
而: ér · and; and then; and yet; but; Kangxi radical 126
行: xíng · go; walk; move, travel; circulate; Kangxi radical 144

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Mandarin tones

4–4–2–2 · liang4 li4 er2 xing2

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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.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to act according to one's capability; to weigh one's abilities and do it; cut one's coat according to one's cloth

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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