📖 Meaning
To accomplish a task by relying on or borrowing the strength and resources of others rather than one's own. It describes leveraging external help to achieve a goal. The term can carry a neutral or slightly negative connotation, implying a lack of self-reliance.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the classical text Liezi (《列子·汤问》), dated to the Warring States period. The passage tells of a man named Lai Dan whose father was killed by Heiluan. When someone offered to help him exact revenge using supernatural power, Lai Dan felt ashamed to borrow another's strength, vowing instead to slay Heiluan with his own sword. The phrase '耻假力于人' (ashamed to borrow others' strength) captures his determination to act independently. Over time, '假力于人' came to denote the general act of relying on outside assistance to get things done.
💡 Example Usage
这项工程难度极大，他不得不假力于人，请来了多位专家协助完成。
The project was extremely difficult, so he had to rely on others' strength and invited several experts to help complete it.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 假力于人
- Pinyin: jiǎ lì yú rén
- Literal Translation: borrow, strength, from, others
- Category: Method
- Characters: 4