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抱佛腳

简抱佛脚 · 繁抱佛腳

Mandarin · pinyin bào fó jiǎo

(fig.) to scramble to make up for a lack of preparation; to make a frantic, last-ditch effort; to cram for an exam (cf. 平時不燒香，臨時抱佛腳 píng shí bù shāo xiāng, lín shí bào fó jiǎo)

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Characters in this entry

抱: bào · embrace, hold in arms, enfold
佛: fú · Buddha; of Buddhism; merciful person; Buddhist image; the dead (Japanese)
腳: jiǎo · foot; base, leg, foundation
脚: jiǎo · leg, foot; base, leg, foundation

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

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Mandarin tones

4–2–3 · bao4 fo2 jiao3

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

抱佛腳 · find source passages ↗ · 抱佛脚 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

pou5 fat6 goek3

Cantonese word readings for 抱佛腳. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

verb

(verb-object) to leave something to do at the last minute; to make a last-minute effort
(original meaning, now rare) to profess Buddhism

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

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