心 有 余，力 不 足

xīn yǒu yú , lì bù zúdictionary entry

The will is there, but not the strength (idiom, from Confucian Analects). / I really want to do it, but don't have the resources. / 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-90a5348b942beabb. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

心有餘，力不足 心有余，力不足 [xin1 you3 yu2 , li4 bu4 zu2] /The will is there, but not the strength (idiom, from Confucian Analects)./I really want to do it, but don't have the resources./The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak./

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Reference information

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

Character information

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Other forms in these source records: 心有餘，力不足

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.