画饼充饥 (Huàbǐngchōngjī) Drawing Pancakes to Stave off Hunger (Beginner)

画饼充饥 (Huàbǐngchōngjī) Drawing Pancakes to Stave off Hunger

In Chinese idiom “画饼充饥 (huàbǐngchōngjī) ,”  “画 (huà)” means “to draw;” “饼 (bǐng)” refers to “pancakes;” “充 (chōng)” is “to fill or stuff sth,” which indicates “to stave off or to relieve” in this Chinese idiom; “饥 (jī)” means “being hungry.”

Key Learning Points (Preview):

画 (huà): v. / n. to draw /painting; picture

充 (chōng): v. to fill or stuff sth/to stave off or to relieve

Sānguó shídài Wèiguó  de huángdì Cáo Ruì,
三国        时代     魏国    的    皇帝     曹    睿，

zhǔnbèi xuǎnbá yí gè yǒu cáinéng de rén dào cháoting lái zuòguān.
准备         选拔    一个  有    才能    的 人   到     朝廷      来    做官。

Once in the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280), the duke of the Wei, Cao Rui, planned to select a very capable man to work for him.

Cáo Ruì duì tā  de dàchén shuō: “xuǎnzé réncái, bùnéng guāng zhǎo yǒu xūmíng de rén.
曹     睿   对  他 的 大臣       说：  “选择     人才， 不能        光      找    有    虚名    的 人。

Xūmíng hǎoxiàng shì huà de yí kuài bǐng, zhǐnéng kàn,
虚名        好像      是   画   的 一块     饼， 只能     看，

bùnéng jiějué dùzi    jī’è   de wèntí  a!”
不能       解决  肚子 饥饿 的 问题 啊！”

Hòulái, rénmēn jiù yòng “huàbǐngchōngjī” zhè gè chéngyǔ bǐyù yòng kōngxiǎng
后来， 人们      就 用        “画饼充饥”        这   个   成语      比喻   用      空想

ānwèi   zìjǐ,   bùnéng jiějué shíjì wèntí.
安慰   自己，不能    解决   实际 问题。

Later, this idiom came to be used to mean comforting oneself with unrealistic thoughts, without solving practical problems.

Key Learning Point:

(huà): v. / n. to draw/painting; picture

Examples:

Nǐ néng bāng wǒ zài huà yì zhāng ma?
你 能      帮    我  再   画  一   张     吗？
Can you draw another one for me?

Qiáng shàng guàzhe yì  fú  huà.
墙          上       挂着  一 幅   画。
There is a picture on the wall.

充 (chōng): v. to fill or stuff sth/to stave off or to relieve

Example:

Jīhuāng de niándài, rénmēn jīngcháng yòng yěcǎo lái chōngjī.
饥荒      的   年代， 人们        经常         用    野草   来   充饥。
In the time of famine, people often staved off themselves with wild plants.

三国时代 (Sānguó shídài): Three Kingdoms Period:

During 220 A.D.-280 A.D., China split into three political powers: the State of Wei led by Cao Cao, the State of Shu led by Liu Bei, the State of Wu led by Sun Quan. That period of China is called Three Kingdoms Period.

生词 (shēngcí) Vocabulary:

朝廷 (cháoting): n. royal government

做官 (zuòguān): v. to serve as an official in government

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General Chinese (Beginner Level)
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