📖 Meaning
The hands cannot keep up with what the heart intends — one's ability falls short of one's ambition. It describes a situation where a person genuinely wants to accomplish something but lacks the strength, skill, or resources to carry it through.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase appears in Volume 32 of 'Jingshi Tongyan' (Stories to Caution the World), a Ming dynasty story collection compiled by Feng Menglong. In the tale, the young scholar Li公子 squanders his wealth on a courtesan; after a year passes, his purse runs dry and he finds himself powerless to maintain his former lavish lifestyle. The madam, sensing his diminished means, grows cold and neglectful toward him.
💡 Example Usage
他很想帮忙，却手不应心，只能在一旁干着急。
He desperately wanted to help, but his abilities fell short of his intentions, leaving him to fret helplessly on the sidelines.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 手不应心
- Pinyin: shǒu bù yīng xīn
- Literal Translation: hand, not, respond, heart
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4