Idiom Explanation:
Not measuring your own ability, indicates an incorrect estimation of one’s own strength, or an overestimation of one’s own power.
Pronunciation:
不自量力
bù zì liàng lì
Origin:
先秦·左氏《左传·隐公十一年》：“不度德，不量力。”
Story:
During the Spring and Autumn Period, there were two vassal states in what is now Henan Province, one was Zheng and the other was Xi.
In 712 B.C., the State of Rest launched a war against the State of Zheng.
Although both vassal states were small, the State of Rest had much less manpower and material resources than the State of Zheng, and its military strength was also much weaker. The war naturally ended with the defeat of the State of Xi.
Afterwards, some insightful people analyzed that the state was about to be destroyed. Their analysis was based on the fact that the state did not consider its own virtue, did not assess whether it could win or not, did not establish good relations with other countries close to it, did not justify its attack on Zheng, and did not identify who was responsible for the failure.
After making these five mistakes, it was only natural for him to set out on an expedition against another country and be defeated. As a matter of fact, the state of Xi was soon conquered by Chu.
Similar Idioms:
- 螳臂当车
- 蚍蜉撼树
