beyond one 's reach or power to do something
In Chinese, Pinyin is l ì y ǒ UW è ID à I, which means that ability can't be achieved. It comes from Lian Wenfeng's Bai Zheng Ji, preface to Chang state of sending Gou Houfu to learn zheng.
The origin of Idioms
Lian Wenfeng of the Song Dynasty wrote in Baizheng Ji, a preface to sending Gou Houfu to learn Zhengzhi: "it's not the Houfu's original ambition, but it's hard to grasp the strength and skill, so it's hard to choose a place where the beauty and evil are near and far away."
Idiom usage
(1) he has always hoped to defuse the hatred between the two families, but they are still quarreling. (2) he always wants to do everything perfectly, but he can't do it.
beyond one 's reach or power to do something
unnecessary and overelaborate formalities - fán wén mò jié