民以食为天 — “Food is of paramount importance to the people”
民以食为天 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Food is of paramount importance to the people”. It is the fundamental necessity of life and survival. Literally, “People take food as heaven”.
民以食为天 Pronunciation and Pinyin
民以食为天 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 民以食为天
Origin and Story of 民以食为天
During the Chu-Han Contention, Liu Bang and Xiang Yu were engaged in battle near Yingyang.
Lacking reinforcements, Liu Bang considered abandoning the Aocang granary and sought advice from his strategist Li Yiji.
Li Yiji emphasized that a ruler relies on the common people, and the common people rely on food. To secure victory in the war, it was crucial to occupy Aocang to maintain army morale.
Liu Bang concurred with Li Yiji's counsel, fought valiantly, and ultimately achieved victory.
Idioms Related to 民以食为天
More idioms starting with 民
- mín民bù不kān堪mìng命people cannot bear their suffering
- mín民bù不ān安zhěn枕people cannot sleep peacefully
- mín民bù不wèi畏sǐ死people not fearing death
- mín民bù不liáo聊shēng生people can hardly make a living
- mín民wèi为bāng邦běn本The people are the foundation of a nation
- mín民yǐ以shí食wèi为běn本food is the people's paramount need
- mín民bǎo保yú于xìn信People's trust secured by integrity
- mín民lì力diāo雕bì弊people's strength and resources exhausted
- mín民hé和nián年fēng丰peaceful people, bountiful harvest
- mín民hé和nián年rěn稔people live in peace with abundant harvests
- mín民kùn困guó国pín贫people distressed, land impoverished
- mín民ān安guó国tài泰people live in peace and the country is prosperous
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Open the tool →Questions about 民以食为天
What does 民以食为天 mean?
民以食为天 (mín yǐ shí wéi tiān) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Food is of paramount importance to the people”.
How do you pronounce 民以食为天?
民以食为天 is pronounced mín yǐ shí wéi tiān in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 民以食为天 literally mean?
Literally, 民以食为天 means “People take food as heaven”. It is used to mean “Food is of paramount importance to the people”.
Where does 民以食为天 come from?
民以食为天 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 民以食为天?
天：比喻赖以生存的最重要的东西。人民以粮食为自己生活所系。指民食的重要。