抱佛脚
bào fó jiǎo
Pinyin

Definition

抱佛脚
 - 
bào fó jiǎo
  1. lit. to clasp the Buddha's feet (without ever having burned incense) (idiom); fig. to profess devotion only when in trouble
  2. panic measures in place of timely preparation

Character Decomposition

Related Words (20)

仿佛
fǎng fú
  1. 1 variant of 彷彿|仿佛[fǎng fú]
佛
Fó
  1. 1 Buddha
  2. 2 Buddhism
抱
bào
  1. 1 to hold
  2. 2 to carry (in one's arms)
  3. 3 to hug
  4. 4 to embrace
  5. 5 to surround
  6. 6 to cherish
抱怨
bào yuàn
  1. 1 to complain
  2. 2 to grumble
  3. 3 to harbor a complaint
  4. 4 to feel dissatisfied
拥抱
yōng bào
  1. 1 to embrace
  2. 2 to hug
佛山
Fó shān
  1. 1 Foshan prefecture-level city in Guangdong
佛山市
Fó shān shì
  1. 1 Foshan prefecture-level city in Guangdong 廣東省|广东省[Guǎng dōng shěng]
佛教
Fó jiào
  1. 1 Buddhism
佛法
fó fǎ
  1. 1 Dharma (the teachings of the Buddha)
  2. 2 Buddhist doctrine
佛珠
fó zhū
  1. 1 Buddhist prayer beads
佛祖
Fó zǔ
  1. 1 Buddha
  2. 2 founder of a buddhist sect
佛罗伦萨
Fó luó lún sà
  1. 1 Florence, city in Italy
佛陀
Fó tuó
  1. 1 Buddha (a person who has attained Buddhahood, or specifically Siddhartha Gautama)
哈佛
Hā fó
  1. 1 Harvard
念佛
niàn fó
  1. 1 to pray to Buddha
  2. 2 to chant the names of Buddha
怀抱
huái bào
  1. 1 to hug
  2. 2 to cherish
  3. 3 within the bosom (of the family)
  4. 4 to embrace (also fig. an ideal, aspiration etc)
成佛
chéng fó
  1. 1 to become a Buddha
  2. 2 to attain enlightenment
抱抱
bào bào
  1. 1 to hug
  2. 2 to embrace
抱有
bào yǒu
  1. 1 have
  2. 2 possess
抱枕
bào zhěn
  1. 1 bolster
  2. 2 a long pillow or cushion

Idioms (14)

不看僧面看佛面
bù kàn sēng miàn kàn fó miàn
  1. 1 lit. not for the monk's sake but for the Buddha's sake (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. (to do sth for sb) out of deference to sb else
佛口蛇心
fó kǒu shé xīn
  1. 1 words of a Buddha, heart of a snake (idiom); two-faced
  2. 2 malicious and duplicitous
借花献佛
jiè huā xiàn Fó
  1. 1 lit. presenting the Buddha with borrowed flowers (idiom); fig. to win favor or influence using sb else's property
  2. 2 plagiarism
平时不烧香，临时抱佛脚
píng shí bù shāo xiāng , lín shí bào fó jiǎo
  1. 1 lit. to clasp the Buddha's feet when danger arises (idiom); fig. to profess devotion only when in trouble
  2. 2 doing things at the last minute
  3. 3 to make a hasty last-minute effort (often refers to cramming for exams)
抱佛脚
bào fó jiǎo
  1. 1 lit. to clasp the Buddha's feet (without ever having burned incense) (idiom); fig. to profess devotion only when in trouble
  2. 2 panic measures in place of timely preparation
抱残守缺
bào cán shǒu quē
  1. 1 to cherish the outmoded and preserve the outworn (idiom); conservative
  2. 2 stickler for tradition
抱薪救火
bào xīn jiù huǒ
  1. 1 lit. to carry firewood to put out a fire (idiom); fig. to make a problem worse by inappropriate action
抱头鼠窜
bào tóu shǔ cuàn
  1. 1 to cover one's head and sneak away like a rat (idiom); to flee ignominiously
抱头鼠蹿
bào tóu shǔ cuān
  1. 1 to cover one's head and sneak away like a rat (idiom); to flee ignominiously
  2. 2 also written 抱頭鼠竄|抱头鼠窜
拣佛烧香
jiǎn fó shāo xiāng
  1. 1 to choose which Buddha to burn incense to (idiom); fig. to curry favor from the right person
放下屠刀，立地成佛
fàng xià tú dāo , lì dì chéng fó
  1. 1 lay down butcher's knife, become a Buddha on the spot (idiom); instant rehabilitation
  2. 2 to repent and be absolved of one's crimes
数珠念佛
shǔ zhū niàn fó
  1. 1 to count one's prayer beads and chant Buddha's name (idiom)
立地成佛
lì dì chéng fó
  1. 1 to become a Buddha on the spot (idiom); instant rehabilitation
  2. 2 to repent and be absolved of one's crimes
临时抱佛脚
lín shí bào fó jiǎo
  1. 1 lit. to clasp the Buddha's feet when danger arises (idiom); fig. to profess devotion only when in trouble
  2. 2 doing things at the last minute
  3. 3 making a hasty last-minute effort

Sample Sentences

所谓临时抱佛脚，就是在说你。
suǒwèi línshíbàofójiǎo ，jiùshì zài shuō nǐ 。
What you're doing is what we call "embracing the Buddha's feet." (Preparing for something at the last minute.)
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平时让你们学你们不学，现在知道要临时抱佛脚了。
píngshí ràng nǐmen xué nǐmen bù xué ，xiànzài zhīdào yào línshí bào fójiǎo le 。
Normally you guys don't listen when I try to teach you, so I know now that you're just trying to cram at the last minute.
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我也是临时抱佛脚的。好像峨嵋山是普贤菩萨的道场，还有九华山是......哎，我又忘了。
wǒ yě shì línshí bào fójiǎo de 。hǎoxiàng Éméishān shì Pǔxián Púsa de dàochǎng ，háiyǒu Jiǔhuáshān shì ......āi ，wǒ yòu wàng le 。
I only looked it up last minute myself. I think Emei Mountain is Bodhisattva Puxian's sacred place, and Jiuhua Mountain is...hm, I forgot.
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