📖 Meaning
Describes a person who is alone and physically weak, lacking both numbers and strength to accomplish a task. It conveys the feeling of being isolated and powerless in a difficult situation.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase appears in the modern novel "衰与荣" (Decline and Glory) by contemporary author Ke Yunlu (柯云路). In one scene, an elderly character named Xia Ping tries to shield someone from a pushing crowd but, being alone and frail, cannot hold them back. The expression pairs "身单" (being alone) with "力薄" (having little strength) to convey inadequacy of both manpower and physical force.
💡 Example Usage
他身单力薄，实在搬不动这些重箱子。
Alone and frail, he simply couldn't move these heavy boxes.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 身单力薄
- Pinyin: shēn dān lì bó
- Literal Translation: body, single, strength, thin
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4