lao lực bất như lao tâm
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Toil of the muscles is less than toil of the heart — worry wounds deeper than work.
Literally: laboring strength can't match laboring heart
Examples
Chức to chưa chắc sướng, lao lực bất như lao tâm.The big chair isn't the easy one — the heart's toil beats the back's.
Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)
Sources & notes
Discovered via Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.
Common questions
What does “lao lực bất như lao tâm” mean?
Toil of the muscles is less than toil of the heart — worry wounds deeper than work. Literally: laboring strength can't match laboring heart
Is “lao lực bất như lao tâm” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.