望梅止渴

Pronunciation: wàng méi zhǐ ké
Literal meaning: Think of plums stop thirst

Origin & Usage

This idiom comes from a historical account of General Cao Cao during the Three Kingdoms period. Leading his army through drought-stricken terrain, he encouraged exhausted soldiers by telling them a great forest of plums (梅) lay ahead - merely thinking (望) of the sour fruit would help stop (止) their thirst (渴). While no plums existed, the psychological boost helped the troops persist. The story highlights the power of mental imagery and leadership through creative motivation. Today, it's often used to describe situations where imagination or anticipation provides temporary relief from difficult circumstances, though sometimes with a slight ironic tone about the limitations of such psychological comfort.

Examples

English: "Merely dreaming about success without taking action won't achieve results"

Chinese: 光想着成功而不采取行动是不会有结果的

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