泥菩薩過江

Chinese

		restrained; mud; paste restrained; mud; paste; pulp	bodhisattva; kind-hearted person; kind and charitable person	to cross a river
trad. (泥菩薩過江)		泥	菩薩	過江
simp. (泥菩萨过江)		泥	菩萨	过江
Literally: “a clay bodhisattva statue crosses the river (― unable to even protect oneself)”.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): nípúsàguòjiāng

  (Zhuyin): ㄋㄧˊ ㄆㄨˊ ㄙㄚˋ ㄍㄨㄛˋ ㄐㄧㄤ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): nai⁴ pou⁴ saat³ gwo³ gong¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: nípúsàguòjiāng
    • Zhuyin: ㄋㄧˊ ㄆㄨˊ ㄙㄚˋ ㄍㄨㄛˋ ㄐㄧㄤ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: nípúsàguòjiang
    • Wade–Giles: ni²-pʻu²-sa⁴-kuo⁴-chiang¹
    • Yale: ní-pú-sà-gwò-jyāng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: nipwusahguohjiang
    • Palladius: нипусагоцзян (nipusagoczjan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ni³⁵ pʰu³⁵ sä⁵¹⁻⁵³ ku̯ɔ⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: nai⁴ pou⁴ saat³ gwo³ gong¹
    • Yale: nàih pòuh saat gwo gōng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: nai⁴ pou⁴ saat⁸ gwo³ gong¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: nei⁴ pou⁴ sad³ guo³ gong¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /nɐi̯²¹ pʰou̯²¹ saːt̚³ kʷɔː³³ kɔːŋ⁵⁵/

Idiom

泥菩薩過江

1. Short for 泥菩薩過江——自身難保／泥菩萨过江——自身难保 (nípúsàguòjiāng, zìshēnnánbǎo, “to be in trouble oneself and thus unable to help others”).