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朝不保夕

zhāo bù bǎo xīdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
at dawn, not sure of lasting to evening (idiom) / precarious state / imminent crisis / living from hand to mouth
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-9eba6235297b329f. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

朝不保夕 朝不保夕 [zhao1 bu4 bao3 xi1] /at dawn, not sure of lasting to evening (idiom); precarious state/imminent crisis/living from hand to mouth/

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.

  • 朝
    cháo

    imperial or royal court / government / dynasty / reign of a sovereign or emperor / court or assembly held by a sovereign or emperor / to make a pilgrimage to / facing / towards

    zhāo

    morning

    Cháo

    abbr. for 朝鮮|朝鲜[Cháo xiǎn] Korea

  • 不
    bù

    no / not so / (bound form) not / un-

  • 保
    bǎo

    to defend / to protect / to keep / to guarantee / to ensure / (old) civil administration unit in the baojia 保甲[bǎo jiǎ] system

    Bǎo

    Bulgaria (abbr. for 保加利亞|保加利亚[Bǎo jiā lì yà])

  • 夕
    xī

    (bound form) sunset / dusk / (bound form) evening / night / Taiwan pr. [xì]

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.