How do you pronounce 画饼充饥?

画饼充饥 is pronounced as "huà bǐng chōng jī" in Mandarin Chinese.

画饼充饥

Q: What does 画饼充饥 mean?

画饼充饥 (huà bǐng chōng jī) literally means "Draw cakes to alleviate hunger" and metaphorically means "Empty promises satisfy nothing". It belongs to the Life Philosophy category of Chinese idioms.

Q: When is 画饼充饥 used?

画饼充饥 is used when The company offered empty promises instead of actual raises.

画饼充饥 (huà bǐng chōng jī) literally means “draw cakes to alleviate hunger” and expresses “empty promises satisfy nothing”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving life philosophy.

Also searched as: hua bing chong ji, hua bing chong ji,画饼充饥 meaning, 画饼充饥 in english

Empty promises satisfy nothing

Pronunciation: huà bǐng chōng jī Literal meaning: Draw cakes to alleviate hunger

Origin & Usage

Emperor Ming of Wei, telling Lu Yu how to pick men for office, said not to choose by reputation: a reputation is like a cake drawn on the ground, and you cannot eat it. The Records of the Three Kingdoms preserves the order, and the four-character form drew (画) the cake (饼) instead. Drawing the cake was meant to fill (充) the hunger (饥). The phrase describes a substitute that resembles the thing in every respect except the one that matters — promises, projections and plans offered in place of delivery.

Examples

English: "The company offered empty promises instead of actual raises"

Chinese: 公司提供空洞的承诺而不是实际的加薪

Related Chinese Idioms

Similar idioms about life philosophy

画地为牢

huà dì wéi láo

Self-imposed restrictions; limiting oneself

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名存实亡

míng cún shí wáng

Exist in name only

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冷冷清清

lěng lěng qīng qīng

Deserted and lifeless atmosphere

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大相径庭

dà xiāng jìng tíng

Vastly different; poles apart

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无地自容

wú dì zì róng

Extremely ashamed; wish to disappear

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抱残守缺

bào cán shǒu quē

Cling to the old and outdated; resist progress

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故步自封

gù bù zì fēng

Refuse to move beyond past methods

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自暴自弃

zì bào zì qì

Give up on oneself entirely

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does 画饼充饥 mean in English?

画饼充饥 (huà bǐng chōng jī) literally translates to “Draw cakes to alleviate hunger” and is used to express “Empty promises satisfy nothing”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Life Philosophy category.