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遠水不救近火

简远水不救近火 · 繁遠水不救近火

Mandarin · pinyin yuǎn shuǐ bù jiù jìn huǒ

see 遠水救不了近火 yuǎn shuǐ jiù bu liǎo jìn huǒ

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Characters in this entry

遠: yuǎn · distant, remote, far; profound
水: shuǐ · water, liquid, lotion, juice
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
救: jiù · save, rescue, relieve; help, aid
近: jìn · near, close; approach; intimate
火: huǒ · fire, flame; burn; anger, rage
远: yuǎn · distant, remote, far; profound

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

3–3–4–4–4–3 · yuan3 shui3 bu4 jiu4 jin4 huo3

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

jyun5 seoi2 bat1 gau3 gan6 fo2

Pleco · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Word reading; meanings not aligned.

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

proverb

(figurative) a slow remedy cannot resolve an emergency

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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