A single person's strength is insufficient to support a large undertaking or critical situation; one individual cannot bear the burden alone.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Story:
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).