求神拜佛
qiú shén bài fó
to pray to the gods and the Buddha (for help)
Character by character
求qiú
beg
beg
神shén
gods
gods
拜bài
worship
worship
佛fó
Buddha
Buddha
Example
考试前光求神拜佛没用，还是得好好复习。
Praying to the gods before an exam is no use on its own; you still have to revise properly.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
Describes people going to temples to pray (逢年过节去庙里求神拜佛), and often carries a wry or critical note: relying on the gods instead of your own effort. Compare the saying 平时不烧香，临时抱佛脚.
Learn this in Lesson 45 · HSK 5–6: 灶王爷与财神 (The household gods)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
Open the lesson →