画饼充饥
- Literal
- to draw a cake to satisfy hunger
- Figurative
- To comfort oneself with empty illusions that solve nothing; to feed on hollow hopes or promises that never meet the real need.
Where does 画饼充饥 come from?
In the state of Wei during the Three Kingdoms period, Emperor Cao Rui sought to choose an imperial secretary (zhongshu lang) and charged his minister Lu Yu, who was responsible for recommending talent, with getting the choice right. The emperor warned him not to trust mere reputation, for "fame is like a cake drawn on the ground: you cannot eat it." He meant that a famous name alone is worthless if the person lacks real ability. Lu Yu then proposed setting up an evaluation system to measure officials' true merit. From that image the saying was born, and over time it came to mean comforting oneself with unreal things that satisfy no genuine need.
Source (出处): 《三国志·魏志·卢毓传》
How is 画饼充饥 used? Two examples
- 光想着中彩票就能买房，这不过是画饼充饥罢了。
Just dreaming of winning the lottery to buy a flat is nothing but feeding on empty illusions.
- 他天天说要升职加薪，可什么也不做，简直是画饼充饥。
Every day he says he wants a promotion and a raise, yet does nothing; it is pure feeding on hollow hopes.
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