泥菩萨过江，自身难保 in English ni2 pu2 sa4 guo4 jiang1 , zi4 shen1 nan2 bao3 Meaning

Meanings

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

Simplified Characters

泥 菩 萨 过 江 ， 自 身 难 保

Traditional Characters

泥 菩 薩 過 江 ， 自 身 難 保

Pinyin

ni2 pu2 sa4 guo4 jiang1 , zi4 shen1 nan2 bao3

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

泥ni2mud 菩pu2Bodhisattva 萨sa4Bodhisattva 过guo4surname Guo 江jiang1surname Jiang ， 自zi4self 身shen1body 难nan2difficult (to...) 保bao3Bulgaria