鞭长不及马腹 — “To be beyond one's power or reach”
鞭长不及马腹 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be beyond one's power or reach”. To be unable to intervene effectively in matters outside one's immediate control or sphere of influence. Literally, “The whip is long, but it cannot reach the horse's belly”.
鞭长不及马腹 Pronunciation and Pinyin
鞭长不及马腹 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 鞭长不及马腹
Origin and Story of 鞭长不及马腹
During the Spring and Autumn period, King Zhuang of Chu, relying on his powerful influence, sent his minister Shen Zhou on a mission to Qi, passing through the State of Song without obtaining Song's consent. The State of Song subsequently killed Shen Zhou.
King Zhuang of Chu then dispatched troops to attack Song. Song sought assistance from the State of Jin.
Minister Bo Zong advised Duke Jing of Jin not to send troops, stating, "Though the whip is long, it cannot reach the horse's belly," implying there was no reason to offend Chu for the sake of Song.
Idioms Related to 鞭长不及马腹
Synonyms of 鞭长不及马腹
Antonyms of 鞭长不及马腹
More idioms starting with 鞭
- biān鞭bù不jí及fù腹beyond one's reach or influence
- biān鞭sī丝mào帽yǐng影traveling with horsewhip and hat
- biān鞭dǎ打kuài快niú牛Punish the diligent
- biān鞭pǐ擗xiàng向lǐ里analyze deeply and thoroughly
- biān鞭pǐ擗jìn进lǐ里penetrate deeply into the essence
- biān鞭chī笞tiān天xià下dominate and control the entire world
- biān鞭yuē约jìn近lǐ里make a penetrating and incisive analysis
- biān鞭pì辟rù入lǐ里penetrating and incisive
- biān鞭bì辟xiàng向lǐ里delve deeply into an issue
- biān鞭bì辟zhuó着lǐ里penetrating and incisive analysis
- biān鞭pì辟jìn近lǐ里analyze with great insight and thoroughness
- biān鞭cháng长bù不jí及beyond one's reach
Recommended tools
Bingo Cards
Picture and word Bingo for your class
Open the tool →
Chinese Text Image Generator
Create PNGs with pinyin, highlight character parts or remove strokes
Open the tool →
Picture Worksheets
Chinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets
Open the tool →
Character Highlight Animator
Choose character parts and animate their colors, together or in stroke order
Open the tool →Questions about 鞭长不及马腹
What does 鞭长不及马腹 mean?
鞭长不及马腹 (biān cháng bù jí mǎ fù) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be beyond one's power or reach”.
How do you pronounce 鞭长不及马腹?
鞭长不及马腹 is pronounced biān cháng bù jí mǎ fù in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 鞭长不及马腹 literally mean?
Literally, 鞭长不及马腹 means “the whip is long, but it cannot reach the horse's belly”. It is used to mean “to be beyond one's power or reach”.
Where does 鞭长不及马腹 come from?
鞭长不及马腹 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 鞭长不及马腹?
指鞭子虽然很长，但是不应该打到马肚上。后以之比喻力所不能及。