爛泥扶不上牆

Chinese

		mud; slush; ooze mud; slush; ooze; mire; soil; earth	to support with hand; to help sb. up; to help	not; no	up; on; on top up; on; on top; upon; first; previous or last; upper; higher; above; previous; to climb; to go into; to go up	wall
trad. (爛泥扶不上牆)		爛泥	扶	不	上	牆
simp. (烂泥扶不上墙)		烂泥	扶	不	上	墙

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): lànní fú bù shàng qiáng

  (Zhuyin): ㄌㄢˋ ㄋㄧˊ ㄈㄨˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄕㄤˋ ㄑㄧㄤˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): laan⁶ nai⁴ fu⁴ bat¹ soeng⁵ coeng⁴

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: lànní fú bù shàng qiáng [Phonetic: lànní fú bú shàng qiáng]
    • Zhuyin: ㄌㄢˋ ㄋㄧˊ ㄈㄨˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄕㄤˋ ㄑㄧㄤˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: lànní fú bù shàng ciáng
    • Wade–Giles: lan⁴-ni² fu² pu⁴ shang⁴ chʻiang²
    • Yale: làn-ní fú bù shàng chyáng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: lannni fwu bu shanq chyang
    • Palladius: ланьни фу бу шан цян (lanʹni fu bu šan cjan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /län⁵¹ ni³⁵ fu³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ɑŋ³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: laan⁶ nai⁴ fu⁴ bat¹ soeng⁵ coeng⁴
    • Yale: laahn nàih fùh bāt séuhng chèuhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: laan⁶ nai⁴ fu⁴ bat⁷ soeng⁵ tsoeng⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: lan⁶ nei⁴ fu⁴ bed¹ sêng⁵ cêng⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /laːn²² nɐi̯²¹ fuː²¹ pɐt̚⁵ sœːŋ¹³ t͡sʰœːŋ²¹/

Idiom

爛泥扶不上牆

1. to be so incompetent that others' help is of no use; to be hopelessly inept

Synonyms

• (Cantonese) 爛泥扶唔上壁／烂泥扶唔上壁
• (Hakka) 濫泥糊毋上壁／滥泥糊毋上壁

See also

• 朽木不可雕 (xiǔmù bùkě diāo)
• 扶不起的阿斗