Definition
自顾不暇 is a four-character idiom meaning 'unable to even take care of oneself'. The literal reading (self-care + not + have + time) is misleading: it is used to say you are so busy or overwhelmed with your own problems that you have no time or ability to help others. It often appears in polite refusals like 我自顾不暇，帮不了你 ('I can't even handle my own stuff, so I can't help you').
f.e.
unable to even take care of oneselfto have one's hands full with one's own problems
Examples
- 自顾不暇，。Wǒ xiànzài zì gù bú, shízài méiyǒu shíjiān bāng nǐ.I can't even take care of myself right now, so I really don't have time to help you.
- 自顾不暇，？Tā zìjǐ dōu zì gù bú le, nǎlǐ hái yǒu jīnglì guǎn biérén de shì?He can't even fend for himself, so how could he have the energy to mind others' business?
- ，自顾不暇，。Zhè duàn shíjiān gōngsī yèwù tài duō, wǒ zì gù bú, shízài fēnshēn fá shù.The company has too much business lately — I can't even handle my own work, so I really can't be in two places at once.
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