自身难保 zìshēn nán bǎo unable to protect oneself

Explanation

自己都保护不了自己，更别说保护别人了。比喻自己都处境艰难，无力帮助别人。

One cannot even protect oneself, let alone protect others. It is used to describe a situation where one is in a difficult position and unable to help others.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，有一位名叫李白的诗人，他豪放不羁，喜欢结交朋友，乐善好施。一天，他路过一处山村，看到一位老农的房屋被大火烧毁，家徒四壁，老农痛哭流涕，无处可依。李白见此情景，心中不忍，便想出手相助。但是，这时，他发现自己囊中羞涩，身上仅剩一些碎银，根本不够帮助老农重建家园。更糟糕的是，他发现自己的住处也因为一场大雨而漏雨，房屋即将坍塌，自己都自身难保，又如何能帮助别人呢？李白无奈地叹了口气，看着眼前的困境，他意识到自己现在的能力有限，只能先解决自身的问题，才能更好地帮助他人。他暗自下定决心，以后要更加努力创作诗歌，积攒财富，才能更好地帮助那些需要帮助的人。

huà shuō táng cháo shíqī, yǒu yī wèi míng jiào lǐ bái de shī rén, tā háofàng bùjī, xǐhuan jiéjiāo péngyou, lès hàn hǎoshī。yī tiān, tā lùguò yī chù shāncūn, kàn dào yī wèi lǎo nóng de fángwū bèi dà huǒ shāohuǐ, jiātú sìbì, lǎo nóng tòng kū liù tì, wú chù kě yī。lǐ bái jiàn cǐ qíngjǐng, xīnzhōng bù rěn, biàn xiǎng chūshǒu xiāng zhù。dànshì, zhè shí, tā fāxiàn zìjǐ nángzhōng xiūsè, shēnshang jǐng shèng yīxiē suìyín, gēnběn bù gòu bāngzhù lǎo nóng chóngjiàn jiāyuán。gèng zāogāo de shì, tā fāxiàn zìjǐ de zhùchù yě yīnwèi yī chǎng dà yǔ ér lòuyǔ, fángwū jíjiāng tāntā, zìjǐ dōu zìshēn nán bǎo, yòu rúhé néng bāngzhù biérén ne？lǐ bái wú nài dì tàn le kǒuxī, kànzhe yǎn qián de kùnjìng, tā yìshí dào zìjǐ xiànzài de nénglì yǒuxiàn, zhǐ néng xiān jiějué zìshēn de wèntí, cáinéng gèng hǎo de bāngzhù tārén。tā àn zì xià dìng juéxīn, yǐhòu yào gèngjiā nǔlì chuàngzuò shīgē, jīzǎn cáifù, cáinéng gèng hǎo de bāngzhù nàxiē xūyào bāngzhù de rén。

It is said that during the Tang Dynasty, there was a poet named Li Bai. He was unrestrained and generous, and he liked to make friends and do good deeds. One day, he passed by a mountain village and saw that an old farmer's house had been burned down by a fire, leaving him destitute. The old farmer wept bitterly, having nowhere to turn. Li Bai felt sympathy and wanted to help. However, at this time, he found himself impoverished, with only a few silver coins left on him, not enough to help the old farmer rebuild his home. Worse yet, he discovered that his own dwelling was also leaking due to a heavy rain and was about to collapse. He could barely protect himself, so how could he help others? Li Bai sighed helplessly. Faced with this dilemma, he realized that his current abilities were limited, and he could only solve his own problems first before he could better help others. He secretly made up his mind to work harder in the future to write poems, accumulate wealth, and better help those in need.

Usage

形容自己都自身难保，无法帮助他人。

xiáoróng zìjǐ dōu zìshēn nán bǎo, wúfǎ bāngzhù tārén。

Describes a situation where one is barely able to survive, and therefore cannot help others.

Examples

• 他自身难保，哪还顾得上救别人？

  tā zìshēn nán bǎo, nǎ hái gù de shàng jiù biéren？

  He can barely save himself, let alone save others.

• 公司面临危机，自身难保，更别说投资新项目了。

  gōngsī miànlín wēijī, zìshēn nán bǎo, gèng bié shuō tóuzī xīn xiàngmù le。

  The company is facing a crisis and can barely save itself, let alone invest in new projects.

Related Idioms

• 自顾不暇

• 力不从心

Opposite Idioms

• 乐于助人

• 鼎力相助