味如鸡肋 — “Taste like chicken ribs”
味如鸡肋 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Something of little value or benefit, yet one is reluctant to discard it; a dilemma where something is not entirely useless but not very rewarding either, often leading to a difficult decision to keep or abandon”. Literally, “Taste like chicken ribs”.
味如鸡肋 Pronunciation and Pinyin
味如鸡肋 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 味如鸡肋
Origin and Story of 味如鸡肋
In 217 AD, Liu Bei dispatched troops to attack Hanzhong. After fierce battles, he finally killed the defending general Xiahou Yuan and captured Hanzhong.
When news of Xiahou Yuan's death and the loss of Hanzhong reached Chang'an, Cao Cao immediately led a large army to Hanzhong. However, upon arriving outside Hanzhong city, he found that all advantageous positions had been occupied by Huang Zhong and others, making it difficult to achieve victory quickly. The two sides were in a stalemate for several months, and Cao Cao's army found itself in an increasingly disadvantageous position.
One evening, while Cao Cao was dining, he noticed a bowl of soup made from chicken ribs among his dishes. He gazed at the chicken ribs, deep in thought. Just then, his trusted aide Xiahou Dun came to ask for the night's password. Cao Cao casually uttered the words "chicken ribs." Xiahou Dun found this a bit strange but did not question it further and relayed the password as given.
Yang Xiu, the chief clerk who managed documents and affairs in the camp, heard the password "chicken ribs" and immediately packed his belongings, preparing to depart. Seeing this, everyone asked him how he knew they were about to retreat. Yang Xiu replied, "As you all know, chicken ribs are a pity to throw away, but there's not much meat to eat. Using it to describe Hanzhong, it's a pity not to capture it, but it's not easy to take either. So, I know the King of Wei intends to withdraw the troops." Everyone was skeptical.
The next day, Cao Cao indeed ordered the army to return, and only then did everyone truly believe Yang Xiu's insight.
Idioms Related to 味如鸡肋
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Open the tool →Questions about 味如鸡肋
What does 味如鸡肋 mean?
味如鸡肋 (wèi rú jī lèi) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Something of little value or benefit, yet one is reluctant to discard it; a dilemma where something is not entirely useless but not very rewarding either, often leading to a difficult decision to keep or abandon”.
How do you pronounce 味如鸡肋?
味如鸡肋 is pronounced wèi rú jī lèi in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 味如鸡肋 literally mean?
Literally, 味如鸡肋 means “Taste like chicken ribs”. It is used to mean “Something of little value or benefit, yet one is reluctant to discard it; a dilemma where something is not entirely useless but not very rewarding either, often leading to a difficult decision to keep or abandon”.
Where does 味如鸡肋 come from?
味如鸡肋 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 味如鸡肋?
鸡肋：鸡的肋骨，没有肉，比喻无多大意味而又不忍舍弃的东西。比喻事情不做可惜，做起来没有多大好处。