爛泥扶唔上壁

Chinese

		mud; slush; ooze mud; slush; ooze; mire; soil; earth	to support with hand; to help sb. up; to help	hold in mouth; bite; (Cant.) no/not	up; on; on top up; on; on top; upon; first; previous or last; upper; higher; above; previous; to climb; to go into; to go up	wall; rampart
trad. (爛泥扶唔上壁)		爛泥	扶	唔	上	壁
simp. (烂泥扶唔上壁)		烂泥	扶	唔	上	壁

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Analects 糞土之牆?”)

Pronunciation

• Cantonese (Jyutping): laan⁶ nai⁴ fu⁴ m⁴ soeng⁵ bek³

---

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: laan⁶ nai⁴ fu⁴ m⁴ soeng⁵ bek³
    • Yale: laahn nàih fùh m̀h séuhng bek
    • Cantonese Pinyin: laan⁶ nai⁴ fu⁴ m⁴ soeng⁵ bek⁸
    • Guangdong Romanization: lan⁶ nei⁴ fu⁴ m⁴ sêng⁵ bég³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /laːn²² nɐi̯²¹ fuː²¹ m̩²¹ sœːŋ¹³ pɛːk̚³/

Idiom

爛泥扶唔上壁

1. (Cantonese) to be so incompetent that others' help is of no use; to be useless and incapable and cannot be nurtured; to be hopelessly inept

Synonyms

• 爛泥扶不上牆／烂泥扶不上墙 (lànní fú bù shàng qiáng)
• (Hakka) 濫泥糊毋上壁／滥泥糊毋上壁