CHENGYU
画饼充饥(huà bǐng chōng jī)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- literary, mildly critical
- Source:
- 《三国志·魏志·卢毓传》
MEANING
- Literal
- to draw a cake to satisfy hunger
- Figurative meaning
- to comfort oneself with empty promises; to chase illusions
ORIGIN STORY
When the Wei emperor sought talented officials by reputation, Lu Yu warned: "Choose no man for his name — a name is a cake drawn on the ground; you cannot eat it." A painted cake, however pretty, fills no stomach.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“pie in the sky”
EXAMPLES
光说加薪却不兑现，这不是画饼充饥吗？Guāng shuō jiāxīn què bù duìxiàn, zhè bù shì huà bǐng chōng jī ma?HSK6
Talking about raises without delivering — is that not filling up on painted cakes?
靠想象成功，不过是画饼充饥。Kào xiǎngxiàng chénggōng, bùguò shì huà bǐng chōng jī.HSK6
Imagining success is nothing but drawing cakes to fill the stomach.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: It mocks empty promises or daydreams — not real planning or saving for a goal.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01