畫餅充飢

Chinese

		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)		畫	餅	充飢/充饑
simp. (画饼充饥)		画	饼	充饥
Literally: “to draw a flatbread to allay one's hunger”.

Etymology

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

時舉中書郎，詔曰：「得其人與否，在盧生耳。選舉莫取有名，名如畫地作餅，不可啖也。」 [Literary Chinese, trad.]

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时举中书郎，诏曰：「得其人与否，在卢生耳。选举莫取有名，名如画地作饼，不可啖也。」 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

From: Chen Shou, Records of the Three Kingdoms, circa 3^rd 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

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): huàbǐngchōngjī

  (Zhuyin): ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄅㄧㄥˇ ㄔㄨㄥ ㄐㄧ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): waak⁶ beng² cung¹ gei¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: huàbǐngchōngjī
    • Zhuyin: ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄅㄧㄥˇ ㄔㄨㄥ ㄐㄧ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: huàbǐngchongji
    • Wade–Giles: hua⁴-ping³-chʻung¹-chi¹
    • Yale: hwà-bǐng-chūng-jī
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: huahbiingchongji
    • Palladius: хуабинчунцзи (xuabinčunczi)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /xu̯ä⁵¹ piŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕi⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: waak⁶ beng² cung¹ gei¹
    • Yale: waahk béng chūng gēi
    • Cantonese Pinyin: waak⁹ beng² tsung¹ gei¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: wag⁶ béng² cung¹ géi¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /waːk̚² pɛːŋ³⁵ t͡sʰʊŋ⁵⁵ kei̯⁵⁵/

Idiom

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

• 望梅止渴 (wàngméizhǐkě)