救急不救穷
jiù​jí​bù​jiù​qióng

help people in emergencies but not if they are perennially in need

  1. 救急 jiù​jí
    to help in an emergency
    To provide emergency assistance or help meet urgent needs; to assist someone dealing with a sudden crisis.
  2. 不 bù adverb
    not
    Negative adverb used before verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs to indicate negation; also used as a bound-form prefix to form terms with opposite meanings
  3. 救穷 救窮 jiù​qióng
    to relieve the poor
    To provide help or financial aid to people in poverty