画饼充饥 — “To feed oneself on fancies”
画饼充饥 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to feed oneself on fancies”. To console oneself with imaginary solutions or comfort; to draw cakes to allay hunger (metaphorical). Literally, “Draw a cake to satisfy hunger”.
画饼充饥 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 画huà
- 饼bǐng
- 充chōng
- 饥jī
画饼充饥 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 画饼充饥
Origin and Story of 画饼充饥
During the Three Kingdoms period, there was a man named Lu Yu who served as an official in the State of Wei. He offered many excellent ideas to Emperor Wen of Wei, Cao Pi, and was therefore highly esteemed by the imperial court, being promoted to Attendant Censor and Secretary.
On one occasion, Emperor Wen said to Lu Yu: "Whether the state can acquire talented individuals critically depends on you. When selecting talent, do not choose those who merely have a good reputation. A good reputation is just like drawing a cake on the ground; it cannot be eaten."
Lu Yu replied: "It's impossible to truly measure a person's talent solely by their reputation, but it can help discover general talent. Those who are famous for their high moral cultivation and good conduct should not be shunned. I believe the primary method should be to assess them to see if they truly possess knowledge and ability. Currently, the examination system has been abolished, and promotions or demotions rely entirely on reputation, making it difficult to distinguish between the genuine and the fake, the real and the imaginary."
Emperor Wen adopted Lu Yu's advice and ordered the establishment of an examination system.
Idioms Related to 画饼充饥
Antonyms of 画饼充饥
More idioms starting with 画
- huà画yī一zhī之fǎ法a uniform law or policy
- huà画zhōng中yǒu有shī诗poetry in painting
- huà画luǎn卵diāo雕xīn薪indulge in extreme extravagance
- huà画tǔ土fēn分jiāng疆divide and demarcate territory
- huà画dì地wéi为láo牢confine oneself to a designated scope
- huà画dì地wéi为láo牢，，yì议bù不rù入confined by fear, dare not overstep
- huà画dì地wéi为yù狱restrict to a specified sphere
- huà画dì地wéi为yù狱，，shì势bù不rù入Tyrannical power creates insurmountable fear
- huà画dì地zuò作yù狱confine to a designated area
- huà画dì地kè刻mù木to be jailed and interrogated
- huà画dì地chéng成tú图demonstrate exceptional talent and skill
- huà画dì地chéng成láo牢Confine oneself to a limited scope
Questions about 画饼充饥
- What does 画饼充饥 mean?
- 画饼充饥 (huà bǐng chōng jī) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to feed oneself on fancies”.
- How do you pronounce 画饼充饥?
- 画饼充饥 is pronounced huà bǐng chōng jī in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 画饼充饥 literally mean?
- Literally, 画饼充饥 means “Draw a cake to satisfy hunger”. It is used to mean “to feed oneself on fancies”.
- Where does 画饼充饥 come from?
- 画饼充饥 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 画饼充饥?
- 画个饼来解除饥饿。比喻用空想来安慰自己。