临时抱佛脚 Last-minute effort
Explanation
比喻平时没有准备，事情紧急时才匆忙应付。
A metaphor for a lack of preparation and hasty actions in urgent situations.
Origin Story
话说宋朝时期，大文豪王安石与朋友闲谈，谈及佛法，感慨地说自己年老了想要皈依佛门。一旁的朋友打趣道：“急来抱佛脚”，王安石听了有些不悦，朋友便解释说，这是句老话，类似于“投老欲依僧”之类的诗句。故事中王安石并没有真的去“抱佛脚”，而是表达了他年老后想要皈依佛门，寻求精神慰藉的想法。这和成语“临时抱佛脚”的本意略有出入，但都体现了仓促应对之意。其实这个成语的故事并不仅仅局限于王安石的故事，民间也有不少关于“临时抱佛脚”的流传。例如，一个农夫在旱灾时才开始祈祷上天降雨，或者一个学生在考试前才开始复习功课，这些都是典型的“临时抱佛脚”的行为。总之，这个成语强调的是要未雨绸缪，而不是临渴掘井，要做好充分的准备，而不是临时抱佛脚。
During the Song Dynasty, the great writer Wang Anshi was chatting with friends about Buddhism and expressed his desire to convert to Buddhism in his old age. A friend jokingly said, "In a moment of need, one seeks the help of Buddha.", Wang Anshi was a little displeased, but his friend explained that this was an old saying, similar to poems such as "In old age, I wish to meet a monk." Wang Anshi didn't actually "grasp the Buddha's foot", but expressed his desire to convert to Buddhism in his old age and seek spiritual comfort. This slightly deviates from the original meaning of the idiom, but both express the meaning of hasty action.
Usage
用于形容做事没有提前准备，临时抱佛脚，仓促应对。
Used to describe doing something without prior preparation, cramming at the last minute, and hastily responding.
Examples
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考试前临时抱佛脚，效果并不好。
kaoshi qian linshi bao fojiao, xiaoguo bing bu hao
Cramming for the exam won't work well.
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别临时抱佛脚了，平时就要认真学习。
bie linshi bao fojiao le, ping shi jiu yao renzhen xuexi
Don't cram; study diligently on a daily basis.