Meaning:

    “臣妾” was used by Chinese concubines to address themselves in conversations with the emperor, “做不到” means “being unable to do something,” and “啊” is an interjection. Therefore, this sentence simply means “I can’t do it.” Used by an empress played by Hong Kong actress Ada Choi in an episode of the popular Chinese TV series “Empresses in the Palace” (2011, also known as “The Legend of Zhen Huan”), the short sentence caught on netizens’ attention after someone posted a still of the episode with Choi saying the line with a very exaggerated facial expression. Chinese netizens widely use it as a joking way to mean “I can’t” or “something is impossible.”

    Example:

    早上不许赖床了。臣妾做不到啊！

    Zǎoshàng bùxǔ làichuáng le。Chénqiè zuòbùdào a!

    Don’t stay in bed late in the morning. But I can’t!

    中午别网购了。臣妾做不到啊！

    Zhōngwǔ bié wǎnggòu le。Chénqiè zuòbùdào a!

    Stop shopping online at noon. But I can’t!

    晚上早点睡，别玩手机。臣妾做不到啊！

    Wǎnshàng zǎodiǎn shuì, bié wán shǒuji。Chénqiè zuòbùdào a!

    Sleep early and don’t play with your smartphone at night. But I can’t!