巧妇难为无米之炊

Traditional form:

巧婦難為無米之炊

Pinyin (reading):

qiǎofùnánwéiwúmǐzhīchuī

Definitions:

• The cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice (idiom); You won't get anywhere without equipment.

Characters:

• 巧 - skillful, ingenious, clever
• 妇 - married woman; wife
• 难 - hard, difficult, arduous; unable
• 为 - to do, to act; to handle, to govern; to be
• 无 - no, not; lacking, -less
• 米 - rice, millet, grain
• 之 - marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; to go to
• 炊 - meal; to cook, to steam

Traditional characters:

• 巧 - skillful, ingenious, clever
• 婦 - married woman; wife
• 難 - hard, difficult, arduous; unable
• 為 - to do, to act; to handle, to govern; to be
• 無 - no, not; lacking, -less
• 米 - rice, millet, grain
• 之 - marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; to go to
• 炊 - meal; to cook, to steam