📖 Meaning
One's strength or ability is not sufficient to accomplish what one wants to do. It describes a situation where someone has the intention or desire but falls short of the capacity required, so the goal remains unachieved. The tone is one of regretful admission of limitation.
📜 Origin Story
"力有未逮" has no single documented origin story; Chinese dictionaries record no classical source (出处: 无). It is a modern-formed idiom assembled from classical vocabulary: 力 (strength/ability), 有 (to have), 未 (not yet), and 逮 (to reach, attain), a word with roots in classical texts such as the Shangshu and the Analects. The structure "有未…" (there is still something not yet...) follows a classical grammatical pattern, so the phrase reads literally as "one's strength has not yet reached [the goal]." It became a standard expression in modern Chinese, widely used in essays and reports to acknowledge that one's capability falls short of the task at hand.
💡 Example Usage
我想独自完成这项任务，却力有未逮，只好求助他人。
I wanted to complete this task on my own, but my ability fell short, so I had to ask others for help.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 力有未逮
- Pinyin: lì yǒu wèi dǎi
- Literal Translation: strength, have, not yet, reach
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4