DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

遠親不如近鄰

简远亲不如近邻 · 繁遠親不如近鄰

Mandarin · pinyin yuǎn qīn bù rú jìn lín

A relative afar is less use than a close neighbor (idiom). Take whatever help is on hand, even from strangers.

Characters in this entry

遠: yuǎn · distant, remote, far; profound
親: qīn · relatives, parents; intimate
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
如: rú · if, supposing; as if; like, as
近: jìn · near, close; approach; intimate
鄰: Look up this written character
远: yuǎn · distant, remote, far; profound
亲: qīn · relatives, parents; intimate the hazel nut or filbert tree a thorny tree
邻: lín · neighbor; neighborhood

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

3–1–4–2–4–2 · yuan3 qin1 bu4 ru2 jin4 lin2

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

8character links

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

jyun5 can1 bat1 jyu4 gan6 leon4

Cantonese word readings for 遠親不如近鄰. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

jyun5 can1 bat1 jyu4 gan6 leon4

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

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

Nearby neighbours are better than distant cousins (because they can help and take care of each other).