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自顧不暇

简自顾不暇 · 繁自顧不暇

Mandarin · pinyin zì gù bù xiá

(idiom) to have one's hands full managing one's own affairs
too busy to spare time for anything extra

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Characters in this entry

自: zì · self, private, personal; from; Kangxi radical 132
顧: Look up this written character
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
暇: xiá · leisure, relaxation, spare time
顾: gù · look back; look at; look after

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

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Mandarin tones

4–4–4–2 · zi4 gu4 bu4 xia2

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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.

自顧不暇 · find source passages ↗ · 自顾不暇 · find source passages ↗

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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.

phrase

(idiomatic) to have too much on one's plate; to have trouble even in dealing with one's own affairs, let alone taking care of others'

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

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