望梅止渴
- Literal
- to gaze at plums to quench thirst
- Figurative
- To console oneself with empty hopes or illusions; to satisfy a need with imagination rather than something real.
Where does 望梅止渴 come from?
The phrase is attributed to Cao Cao, the warlord of the late Han dynasty. During a march, his troops were exhausted and parched, with no water in sight. To rouse them, Cao Cao pointed ahead and claimed that a great grove of plum trees lay beyond, heavy with sour-sweet fruit. Imagining the plums made the soldiers' mouths water; with their thirst briefly eased, they pressed on until they reached a spring.
Source (出处): 《世说新语》
How is 望梅止渴 used? Two examples
- 他天天看房产广告，却买不起，简直是望梅止渴。
He looks at property ads every day but can't afford any of them; it's just consoling himself with empty hopes.
- 光靠回忆过去的成功来鼓励自己，不过是望梅止渴罢了。
Encouraging yourself only by recalling past successes is nothing but soothing yourself with an empty illusion.
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