心 有 余 而 力 不 足

xīn yǒu yú ér lì bù zúdictionary entry

the will is there, but not the strength (idiom) / the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak

Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-825101467c17a9e6. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

心有餘而力不足 心有余而力不足 [xin1 you3 yu2 er2 li4 bu4 zu2] /the will is there, but not the strength (idiom)/the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 心有餘而力不足

心
xīn
heart / mind / intention / center / core / CL:顆|颗[kē],個|个[gè]
有
yǒu
to have / there is / (bound form) having / with / -ful / -ed / -al (as in 有意[yǒu yì] intentional)
余
yú
(literary) I / me / extra / surplus / remaining / remainder after division / (following numerical value) or more / in excess of (some number) / residue (math.) / after / I / me
Yú
surname Yu
而
ér
and / as well as / and so / but (not) / yet (not) / (indicates causal relation) / (indicates change of state) / (indicates contrast)
力
lì
power / force / strength / ability / strenuously
Lì
surname Li
不
bù
no / not so / (bound form) not / un-
足
jù
excessive
zú
(bound form) foot / leg / sufficient / ample / as much as / fully

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.