📖 Meaning
One's strength is insufficient to sustain or hold up a situation. It describes being physically or metaphorically overwhelmed, unable to endure further pressure or maintain one's position.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase traces to the Sui dynasty scholar Wang Tong, also known as Wenzhongzi, in his work 'Wenzhongzi,' chapter 'Shi Jun.' He wrote that 'when a great mansion is about to collapse, a single pillar cannot hold it up,' using the metaphor of a collapsing building to illustrate that overwhelming crises exceed the capacity of any lone effort. Over time, '力不能支' crystallized from this imagery into a fixed idiom denoting powerlessness to sustain or endure.
💡 Example Usage
敌军攻势猛烈，守城将士渐渐力不能支。
The enemy assault was fierce, and the defenders gradually reached the end of their strength.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 力不能支
- Pinyin: lì bù néng zhī
- Literal Translation: strength, cannot, support
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4