食言而肥 — “To go back on one's word and profit from it”
食言而肥 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to go back on one's word and profit from it”. To break a promise for personal gain. Literally, “Eat one's words and grow fat”.
Frequency
食言而肥 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 食shí
- 言yán
- 而ér
- 肥féi
食言而肥 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 食言而肥
他承诺会帮助大家，结果却食言而肥，让所有人都感到失望。
He promised to help everyone, but then he broke his word and profited from it, leaving everyone disappointed.
Origin and Story of 食言而肥
During the Spring and Autumn period, Meng Wubo, a high official of the State of Lu, was notoriously untrustworthy in his speech. Duke Ai of Lu was displeased with him, so he took the corpulent Grand Master Guo Chong on a visit to the State of Yue.
Meng Wubo was very jealous of Guo Chong. During a banquet hosted by Duke Ai for his officials, Meng Wubo slandered Guo Chong, remarking that Guo Chong was very fat.
Duke Ai of Lu replied, "With so many broken promises (literally, 'eating too many words'), how could one not grow fat?" Meng Wubo knew that Duke Ai was satirizing him.
Idioms Related to 食言而肥
Synonyms of 食言而肥
Antonyms of 食言而肥
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yàn厌jīng精，，kuài脍bù不yàn厌xì细eat well-prepared refined food
- 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
Questions about 食言而肥
- What does 食言而肥 mean?
- 食言而肥 (shí yán ér féi) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to go back on one's word and profit from it”.
- How do you pronounce 食言而肥?
- 食言而肥 is pronounced shí yán ér féi in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 食言而肥 literally mean?
- Literally, 食言而肥 means “Eat one's words and grow fat”. It is used to mean “to go back on one's word and profit from it”.
- Where does 食言而肥 come from?
- 食言而肥 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 食言而肥?
- 食言：失信。指不守信用，只图自己占便宜。