撑不起李家
“incapable of sustaining the Li family.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
是我六房
“We in the Sixth Branch are”
撑不起 李家
“incapable of sustaining the Li family.”
是我儿
“My son is incapable”
“He doesn't have what it takes to carry the weight of this family.”
Traditional Chinese clan dynamics place enormous pressure on sons and lineage branches (房) to 'prop up' (撑起) the family's honor, prosperity, and survival across generations.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
unable to sustain / unable to carry the weight of
A metaphorical potential complement commonly used when someone lacks the capability, funds, or authority to hold up an enterprise or family.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“and I certainly cannot accept this dowry!”
“we haven't taken a single thing from the Li family.”
“to you and the Li family.”
“The Li family owes me nothing, and I owe the Li family nothing in return.”
“And in fact, this is precisely the Li family's determination”
“that we can only get things done with the help of the Li and Luo families?”