远水救不了近火

Traditional: 遠水救不了近火

yuǎn shuǐ jiù bu liǎo jìn huǒ

Dictionary entry

water in a distant place is of little use in putting out a fire right here

What does 远水救不了近火 mean?

远水救不了近火 (yuǎn shuǐ jiù bu liǎo jìn huǒ) has the following dictionary meaning.

1water in a distant place is of little use in putting out a fire right here

2(fig.) a slow remedy does not address the current emergency

Character breakdown

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远yuǎnfar · distant 水Shuǐsurname Shui · Shui ethnic group 救jiùvariant of 救[jiu4]不bùno; not so · (bound form) not; un-了le(completed action marker) · (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now)近jìnnear · close to 火Huǒsurname Huo

Reviewed examples

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How to pronounce 远水救不了近火

远水救不了近火

yuǎn shuǐ jiù bu liǎo jìn huǒ

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Base dictionary data: CC-CEDICT · CC BY-SA 4.0.