臨時抱佛腳
简 临时抱佛脚 · 繁 臨時抱佛腳Meanings
- (idiom) see 抱佛腳 bào fó jiǎo
Characters in this entry
- 臨
- Look up this written character
- 時
- shí · time, season; era, age, period
- 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
- 临
- lín · draw near, approach; descend
- 时
- shí · time, season; era, age, period
- 脚
- jiǎo · leg, foot; base, leg, foundation
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
2–2–4–2–3 · lin2 shi2 bao4 fo2 jiao3
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
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.
臨時抱佛腳 · find source passages ↗ · 临时抱佛脚 · find source passages ↗
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
lam4 si4 pou5 fat6 goek3
Cantonese word readings for 臨時抱佛腳. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
phrase
- (idiomatic) to do something hurriedly only at the last minute; to make a last-minute effort, especially studying for examinations
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack