巧妇难为无米之炊

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

opportunely / coincidentally / as it happens / skillful / timely

clever wife / ingenious housewife / Eurasian wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)

woman

old variant of 婦|妇[fu4]

difficult (to...) / problem / difficulty / difficult / not good

disaster / distress / to scold

to bother / to press sb, usu. to do sth / it's a tough job / sorry to bother you (polite, used to thank sb for a favor)

as (in the capacity of) / to take sth as / to act as / to serve as / to behave as / to become / to be / to do / by (in the passive voice)

because of / for / to

variant of 為|为[wei2] / as (i.e. in the capacity of) / to take sth as / to act as / to serve as / to behave as / to become / to be / to do

variant of 為|为[wei4]

variant of 為|为[wei2]

not to have / no / none / not / to lack / un- / -less

rice / CL:粒[li4] / meter (classifier)

(possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de5]) / him / her / it

to cook food