# 量力而行

liàng lì ér xíng

Act within your abilities

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** Measure your strength and then act

**Register:** Practical · conversational

[Choices & judgment](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/decisions)

## When to use it

Use when matching commitments to actual capacity.

It advises realism, not refusing every challenge.

## Behind the words

Traditional advice links action to an honest assessment of strength. The expression makes capacity part of good judgment.

量 means assessing, and 力 concerns available strength or capacity. The expression encourages matching an undertaking to real resources, including health, money, time, and skill. It is prudent rather than inherently timid. Capacity can grow through preparation, but ignoring present limits is different from responsibly stretching them.

## Examples

帮助别人也要量力而行，别把自己累坏了。

### Traditional Chinese

幫助別人也要量力而行，別把自己累壞了。

bāng zhù bié rén yě yào liàng lì ér xíng ， bié bǎ zì jǐ lèi huài le 。

Even when helping others, stay within your capacity and don’t exhaust yourself.

报名马拉松之前，要根据身体状况量力而行。

### Traditional Chinese

報名馬拉松之前，要根據身體狀況量力而行。

bào míng mǎ lā sōng zhī qián ， yào gēn jù shēn tǐ zhuàng kuàng liàng lì ér xíng 。

Before entering a marathon, judge what your physical condition allows.

预算有限，装修还是量力而行比较好。

### Traditional Chinese

預算有限，裝修還是量力而行比較好。

yù suàn yǒu xiàn ， zhuāng xiū hái shì liàng lì ér xíng bǐ jiào hǎo 。

With a limited budget, it is better to renovate within your means.

做志愿服务可以量力而行，不必一次承担所有工作。

### Traditional Chinese

做志願服務可以量力而行，不必一次承擔所有工作。

zuò zhì yuàn fú wù kě yǐ liàng lì ér xíng ， bú bì yí cì chéng dān suǒ yǒu gōng zuò 。

Volunteer within your capacity rather than taking on every task at once.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 4, 2026.

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=9207&q=1&webMd=1&la=0)

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E9%87%8F%E5%8A%9B%E8%80%8C%E8%A1%8C)

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