无能为役 — “To be utterly inadequate or incapable of rendering service”

无能为役 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be utterly inadequate or incapable of rendering service”. To humbly acknowledge one's own incompetence and inferiority compared to others. Literally, “Incapable of service”.

Frequency

无能为役 Pronunciation and Pinyin

无能为役 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
无	wú	4	without, not having
能	néng	10	can, be able to
为	wéi	4	to be or to do
役	yì	7	to serve or be employed

Example Sentence with 无能为役

面对如此复杂的任务，我感觉自己无能为役，难以胜任。

Facing such a complex and challenging task, I feel utterly inadequate and incapable of handling it.

Origin and Story of 无能为役

During the Spring and Autumn period, Duke Xiang of Qi dispatched troops to attack the State of Lu, besieging Long, a small town on Lu's northern border. Duke Qing of Qi's favored general, Lu Pu Ju Kui, eager for military glory, spearheaded an attack on Long's city gate. However, Long's valiant defenders captured and killed him, displaying his body on the city wall for the Qi army to see.

Enraged, Duke Qing of Qi personally beat the war drum, spurring his army to fight fiercely. In just three days, they breached Long and subsequently occupied Chaoqiu. The State of Wei, being on friendly terms with Lu, sent its generals Sun Liangfu and Shi Ji with an army to assist. En route, the Wei army encountered the Qi forces.

Shi Ji, intimidated by the strength of the Qi army, suggested retreating, but Sun Liangfu disagreed. Shortly after engaging, the Wei army was defeated. Shi Ji, worried about the complete annihilation of their forces, said, "If we lose the army, we will have no way to report to our ruler. Please, Sir Sun, withdraw first. You are a high official of Wei; any harm to you would be a disgrace to our state. I will resist for a while." Sun Liangfu retreated, but the Qi army pursued relentlessly. Fortunately, Zhongshu Yu Xi from Xinzhuan intercepted the Qi forces, saving Sun Liangfu from disaster.

Refusing to give up, Sun Liangfu went to the State of Jin to request reinforcements. Coincidentally, Lu's high official Zang Sun Xu also arrived in Jin seeking aid.

At that time, Jin's commander-in-chief, Ke, who held significant political power and harbored a grudge against Duke Qing of Qi, requested Duke Jing of Jin to send troops to rescue Lu and Wei. Duke Jing agreed, offering 700 chariots. However, Ke felt this number was insufficient. He told Duke Jing, "Seven hundred chariots was the number used in the Battle of Chengpu during the time of Duke Wen of Jin. That victory was possible because of the wise leadership of Duke Wen and the resourcefulness of officials like Xian Zhen and Hu Yan. But as for me, my abilities are far inferior to theirs; I am not even worthy of being their servant [无能为役]! Therefore, I request 800 chariots." Duke Jing granted Ke's request, providing him with 800 chariots.

Ke led the central army, Tu Xie assisted the upper army, Luan Shu commanded the lower army, and Han Jue served as Sima. They marched grandly towards Qi. Jin subsequently won the battle, forcing Qi to surrender many treasures to Jin and cede a large territory to Lu. Jin and Qi then formed an alliance at Aijiang.