畫餅充飢

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Chinese

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draw; picture; painting
round flat cake; cookie; cake
round flat cake; cookie; cake; pastry
 
to allay one's hunger; to satisfy one's hunger
trad. (畫餅充飢/畫餅充饑) 充飢/充饑
simp. (画饼充饥) 充饥
anagram 充飢畫餅充饥画饼
Literally: “to draw a flatbread to allay one's hunger”.

Etymology

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Quoted from Cao Rui, from the Records of the Three Kingdoms:

中書郎:「盧生選舉有名畫地不可。」 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
中书郎:「卢生选举有名画地不可。」 [Literary Chinese, simp.]
From: Chen Shou, Records of the Three Kingdoms, circa 3rd century CE
Shí jǔ zhōngshūláng, zhào yuē: “Dé qí rén yǔ fǒu, zài Lúshēng ěr. Xuǎnjǔ mò qǔ yǒumíng, míng rú huàdì zuò bǐng, bùkě dàn yě.” [Pinyin]
At that time the Emperor of Wei was hiring the Central Secretary. He issued an edict to Lu Yu: “Whether we can hire the person depends on you. Please do not pick those who only have fame [but without talent]. Fame is just like a flatbread drawn on the ground, you cannot eat it.”

Pronunciation

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Idiom

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畫餅充飢

  1. (figurative) to feed on illusions; (of something attractive-looking) to be of no actual use; like a pie in the sky

See also

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