如嚼鸡肋 — “Like gnawing on chicken ribs”
如嚼鸡肋 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Something that offers little benefit or interest, yet still requires effort to maintain or deal with; hardly worth the trouble, but also not easily abandoned. Akin to chicken ribs which have little meat but still require effort to gnaw”. Literally, “like gnawing on chicken ribs”.
如嚼鸡肋 Pronunciation and Pinyin
如嚼鸡肋 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 如嚼鸡肋
Origin and Story of 如嚼鸡肋
The idiom originates from the Three Kingdoms period. In 217 AD, after Liu Bei's forces killed General Xiahou Yuan and captured Hanzhong, Cao Cao personally led a large army to confront Liu Bei. The two armies were locked in a stalemate for several months, and Cao Cao's army was gradually losing its advantage, facing a difficult and unpromising situation.
One evening, while Cao Cao was having dinner, he found chicken ribs in his soup. He casually remarked, 'Chicken ribs.'
His advisor Yang Xiu, upon hearing this, interpreted Cao Cao's words as a metaphor for the current campaign: Hanzhong was like chicken ribs \u2013 it offered little strategic gain (little meat) but was still troublesome to hold onto (hard to discard the bones). Yang Xiu concluded that Cao Cao intended to retreat.
The very next day, Cao Cao indeed issued an order for the army to withdraw, confirming Yang Xiu's interpretation.
Idioms Related to 如嚼鸡肋
Synonyms of 如嚼鸡肋
Antonyms of 如嚼鸡肋
More idioms starting with 如
- rú如bù不shèng胜yī衣extremely frail and thin
- rú如qiū丘ér而zhǐ止give up easily at first difficulty
- rú如sàng丧kǎo考bǐ妣as if one's parents had just died
- rú如lín临dà大dí敌as if facing a formidable enemy
- rú如lín临shēn深yuān渊extremely cautious as if on abyss brink
- rú如lín临shēn深gǔ谷extremely cautious as if on a cliff edge
- rú如zhī之nài奈hé何What can be done about it
- rú如rén人yǐn饮shuǐ水，，lěng冷nuǎn暖zì自zhī知only personal experience reveals true feelings
- rú如xiōng兄rú如dì弟like brothers
- rú如rù入bǎo宝shān山kōng空shǒu手huí回miss great opportunities
- rú如rù入wú无rén人zhī之dì地to move with great ease and boldness
- rú如rù入wú无rén人zhī之jìng境to advance effortlessly without resistance
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Open the tool →Questions about 如嚼鸡肋
What does 如嚼鸡肋 mean?
如嚼鸡肋 (rú jué jī lèi) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Something that offers little benefit or interest, yet still requires effort to maintain or deal with; hardly worth the trouble, but also not easily abandoned. Akin to chicken ribs which have little meat but still require effort to gnaw”.
How do you pronounce 如嚼鸡肋?
如嚼鸡肋 is pronounced rú jué jī lèi in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 如嚼鸡肋 literally mean?
Literally, 如嚼鸡肋 means “like gnawing on chicken ribs”. It is used to mean “Something that offers little benefit or interest, yet still requires effort to maintain or deal with; hardly worth the trouble, but also not easily abandoned. Akin to chicken ribs which have little meat but still require effort to gnaw”.
Where does 如嚼鸡肋 come from?
如嚼鸡肋 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 如嚼鸡肋?
鸡肋：鸡的肋骨。比喻对事情的兴趣不大或少有实惠