泥菩萨过江，自身难保 泥菩薩過江，自身難保
ní pú sà guò jiāng , zì shēn nán bǎo
Meaning
like a clay Bodhisattva fording a river, can't guarantee his own safety; unable to save oneself, let alone others
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Characters
泥nímud, earth, clay; plaster, paste氵尼菩púherb, aromatic plant艹咅萨sàBuddhist diety; used in transliterations艹阝产过guòpass; to go across, to pass through辶寸江jiānglarge river; the Yangtze; surname氵工自zìself; private, personal; from目身shēnbody, torso; person; pregnancy难nánhard, difficult, arduous; unable又隹保bǎoto safeguard, to protect, to defend, to care for亻呆