力不从心

lì bù cóng xīn

the spirit is willing but the strength is not

Character by character

力lì
strength

不bù
not

从cóng
follow

心xīn
heart

父母年纪大了，照顾孙子常常力不从心。

The parents are getting on, and often find looking after the grandchild beyond them.

Tone: neutral.

Learn this in Lesson 27 · HSK 5–6: 人口与老龄化 (Population and ageing)

A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. This lesson is free.