Sources & editorial notes
Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.
Source record: cd-64a943d64b56a6b6. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.
Original source entry:
泥菩薩過江，自身難保 泥菩萨过江，自身难保 [ni2 pu2 sa4 guo4 jiang1 , zi4 shen1 nan2 bao3] /like a clay Bodhisattva fording a river, can't guarantee his own safety/unable to save oneself, let alone others/Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.
Reference information
The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.
Character information
View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.
Other forms in these source records: 泥菩薩過江，自身難保
Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.