遠親不如近鄰
简 远亲不如近邻 · 繁 遠親不如近鄰Meanings
- 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
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
3–1–4–2–4–2 · yuan3 qin1 bu4 ru2 jin4 lin2
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.
遠親不如近鄰 · find source passages ↗ · 远亲不如近邻 · find source passages ↗
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
jyun5 can1 bat1 jyu4 gan6 leon4
Cantonese word readings for 遠親不如近鄰. 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.
proverb
- Nearby neighbours are better than distant cousins (because they can help and take care of each other).
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack