To sympathize with someone's predicament but be unable to offer practical assistance; to wish to help but be powerless.
看到小动物受伤，我们心中爱莫之助，只能祈祷它能挺过去。
Seeing the injured small animal, we wished to help but were powerless, only able to pray it would pull through.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Synonym:
Antonym:
Story:
During the reign of King Xuan of Zhou, a rebellion broke out in the State of Qi. Duke Li of Qi was killed, and the capital city was burned down.
King Xuan sent Zhong Shanfu to quell the rebellion and rebuild the city.
Although Zhong Shanfu sympathized with the people's actions, killing their lord and burning the city was a heinous crime. He decided to act swiftly.
When he departed the capital, his relatives and friends came to see him off, composing poems to praise his accomplishments, such as 'We rely on Zhong Shanfu to handle this; though we care, we cannot assist him.'
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