Chinese idiom – 画饼充饥 huà bǐng chōng jī

During the Three Kingdoms period in ancient China, there was a man named Lu Yu who served as an official under the Wei Kingdom. He was known for his integrity and uprightness, and often made valuable suggestions to the emperor. These suggestions were well received by Emperor Wei Mingdi, who came to trust Lu Yu greatly.

When it came to selecting officials for positions, Emperor Wei Mingdi said, “We should not only consider a person’s reputation. Reputation is like drawing a picture of a cake on the ground; it cannot actually be eaten.” This was a metaphorical reference to the practice of promising things that cannot be delivered, or offering false hopes to satisfy one’s desires.

Over time, this expression evolved into the idiom “画饼充饥” (literally translated as “drawing a cake to satisfy hunger”), which is now used to describe using empty promises or fantasies to comfort oneself or deceive others. It signifies offering something that cannot actually be attained or fulfilled, much like drawing a picture of a cake to satisfy one’s hunger.