泥菩萨过江，自身难保

ní pú sà guò jiāng , zì shēn nán bǎo

Definitions

1. like a clay Bodhisattva fording a river, can't guarantee his own safety
2. unable to save oneself, let alone others

Child Words of 泥菩萨过江，自身难保

• 保 bǎo: Bulgaria
• 江 jiāng: river
• 泥 ní: mud
• 泥 nì: restrained
• 自 zì: self
• 自身 zì shēn: itself
• 菩萨 pú sà: Bodhisattva (Buddhism)
• 过 guò: to cross
• 过 guo: (experienced action marker)
• 难 nán: difficult (to...)
• 难 nàn: disaster
• 泥菩萨 ní pú sà: clay Bodhisattva
• 自身难保 zì shēn nán bǎo: powerless to defend oneself (idiom); helpless
• 菩 pú: Bodhisattva
• 身 shēn: body
• 难保 nán bǎo: hard to say