鞭长莫及
biān cháng mò jí
beyond one’s reach; too far away to control
Character by character
鞭biān
whip
whip
长cháng
long
long
莫mò
cannot
cannot
及jí
reach
reach
Example
总公司在北京，对远在新疆的分公司有点鞭长莫及。
Head office is in Beijing and can hardly keep a grip on the branch far away in Xinjiang.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
From the 左传: “long as the whip is, it does not reach the horse’s belly” (虽鞭之长，不及马腹). Usually with 对…鞭长莫及 or 有点／实在鞭长莫及.
Learn this in Lesson 95 · HSK 6–7: 元朝：马背上的帝国 (The Yuan: an empire on horseback)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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