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爱莫能助

ài mò néng zhùdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
unable to help however much one would like to (idiom) / Although we sympathize, there is no way to help you. / My hands are tied.
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-b43ce827347c632f. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

愛莫能助 爱莫能助 [ai4 mo4 neng2 zhu4] /unable to help however much one would like to (idiom); Although we sympathize, there is no way to help you./My hands are tied./

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: 愛莫能助

  • 爱
    ài

    to love / to be fond of / to like / affection / to be inclined (to do sth) / to tend to (happen)

  • 莫
    mò

    do not / there is none who

    Mò

    surname Mo

  • 能
    néng

    can / to be able to / might possibly / ability / (physics) energy

    Néng

    surname Neng

  • 助
    zhù

    to help / to assist

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.