諺語 · a single proverb
量力而行
What does 量力而行 (liàng lì ér xíng) mean?
量力而行 (liàng lì ér xíng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "measure strength then act." In use it means: Act within one's actual capabilities; know your limits and work within them. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Pig.
Literally: "measure strength then act."
The reading
The bridge that knows its weight limit does not refuse the traveler; it simply tells the truth about what it can bear. Self-knowledge of capacity is not timidity but precision, and the person who calibrates carefully before moving rarely collapses mid-span. Honest accounting of one's own strength is the beginning of reliable action.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Zuozhuan 左傳·隱公十一年 (Yǐn Gōng Year 11)
Sits beside
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Humility & Self-Mastery, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Pig, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 量力而行 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 量力而行 (liàng lì ér xíng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Zuozhuan 左傳·隱公十一年 (Yǐn Gōng Year 11). It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 量力而行?
In Mandarin it is liàng lì ér xíng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 量力而行 aloud in Mandarin.