食不厌精，脍不厌细 — “To be meticulous about one's food”
食不厌精，脍不厌细 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be meticulous about one's food”. Ensuring that rice is finely milled and meat is thinly sliced. It describes a preference for carefully prepared and refined dishes. Literally, “The finer the rice, the better; the more finely minced the meat, the better”.
食不厌精，脍不厌细 Pronunciation and Pinyin
食不厌精，脍不厌细 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 食不厌精，脍不厌细
Origin and Story of 食不厌精，脍不厌细
During the Spring and Autumn period, Confucius, who was often described as "idle with his limbs and unable to distinguish grains," was in fact very particular about his food, clothing, housing, and transportation.
His principle was that rice should be milled as finely as possible and meat should be sliced as thinly as possible. He would not eat old or spoiled grain, nor fish or meat that was not fresh. The amount of meat on his table should not exceed the amount of rice or noodles. He could drink as much wine as he liked, but he should not get drunk.
Idioms Related to 食不厌精，脍不厌细
More idioms starting with 食
- shí食bù不xià下yàn咽too distraught to eat
- shí食bù不èr二wèi味eat simply with only one dish
- shí食bù不chōng充kǒu口unable to get enough food
- shí食bù不chōng充cháng肠not enough food to satisfy hunger
- shí食bù不chōng充jī饥barely enough food to survive
- shí食bù不jiān兼wèi味eat only one dish
- shí食bù不jiān兼ròu肉eat simply, limiting meat consumption
- shí食bù不niàn念bǎo饱eat with moderation
- shí食bù不xiá暇bǎo饱too busy to eat properly
- shí食bù不guǒ果fù腹not have enough food to eat
- shí食bù不qiú求gān甘not seek delicious food
- shí食bù不qiú求bǎo饱eat in moderation
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Open the tool →Questions about 食不厌精，脍不厌细
What does 食不厌精，脍不厌细 mean?
食不厌精，脍不厌细 (shí bù yàn jīng ， kuài bù yàn xì) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be meticulous about one's food”.
How do you pronounce 食不厌精，脍不厌细?
食不厌精，脍不厌细 is pronounced shí bù yàn jīng ， kuài bù yàn xì in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 食不厌精，脍不厌细 literally mean?
Literally, 食不厌精，脍不厌细 means “the finer the rice, the better; the more finely minced the meat, the better”. It is used to mean “to be meticulous about one's food”.
Where does 食不厌精，脍不厌细 come from?
食不厌精，脍不厌细 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 食不厌精，脍不厌细?
厌：满足；脍：细切的肉。粮食舂得越精越好，肉切得越细越好。形容食物要精制细做。