独木难支 — “A single log is hard to support”
独木难支 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a single person's strength is insufficient to support a large undertaking or critical situation; one individual cannot bear the burden alone”. Literally, “A single log is hard to support”.
独木难支 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 独dú
- 木mù
- 难nán
- 支zhī
独木难支 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 独木难支
Origin and Story of 独木难支
Legend has it that a long time ago, Li Er from Laoshan bid farewell to his elder brother and sister-in-law to study arts in Kunlun Mountain.
Upon returning home after mastering his skills, he found his hometown suffering from drought, his brother having starved to death, and his sister-in-law surviving by eating straw from their thatched hut.
Li Er then went to the riverside to collect 'Huada stones' to perform a magic ritual to cook food. When he used his foot to light the fire, his sister-in-law pointed it out, and from then on, he became a one-legged cripple.
People jokingly called him 'Iron Crutch Li,' the one who was '独木难支' (unable to stand on one leg, metaphorically unable to sustain something alone).
Idioms Related to 独木难支
Synonyms of 独木难支
Antonyms of 独木难支
More idioms starting with 独
- dú独yī一wú无èr二unique and unmatched
- dú独jù具yī一gé格have a unique style
- dú独jù具jiàng匠xīn心show great originality and ingenious craftsmanship
- dú独jù具zhī只yǎn眼have unique and discerning insight
- dú独jù具huì慧yǎn眼to have unique insight and discerning vision
- dú独chū出yī一shí时uniquely outstanding for a period
- dú独chū出jǐ己jiàn见express one's own original opinions
- dú独chū出xīn心cái裁create something unique
- dú独chū出xīn新cái裁devise a unique new design
- dú独chū出jī机zhù杼develop an original style or approach
- dú独dào到zhī之chù处unique insight or special merit
- dú独lì力nán难zhī支too weak to cope alone
Questions about 独木难支
- What does 独木难支 mean?
- 独木难支 (dú mù nán zhī) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a single person's strength is insufficient to support a large undertaking or critical situation; one individual cannot bear the burden alone”.
- How do you pronounce 独木难支?
- 独木难支 is pronounced dú mù nán zhī in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 独木难支 literally mean?
- Literally, 独木难支 means “a single log is hard to support”. It is used to mean “a single person's strength is insufficient to support a large undertaking or critical situation; one individual cannot bear the burden alone”.
- Where does 独木难支 come from?
- 独木难支 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 独木难支?
- 一根木头支不住高大的房子。比喻一个人的力量单薄，维持不住全局。