画饼充饥 (huà bǐng chōng jī)
Draw a pancake to allay huger --- feed in illusions
Lu Yu was a very learned and honest man of the State of Wei in the Three Kingdoms Period (220 --- 280). He served as a senior official for three years and made many good suggestions to Emperor Wendi. He was later promoted to the position of Minister of Official Personnel Affairs.
When the emperor was selecting personnel for a very important post, some well-known people were recommended. But Emperor Wendi didn't like them. In a special imperial edict, the emperor said, "whether we can find the right person for this post depends on Lu Yu. We shouldn't choose those only with fame but without real ability and learning. Fame is just like a pancake drawn on the ground which you can't eat."
Lu Yu suggested that recommendation be combined with examination and the emperor adopted his proposal. Officials were then appointed according to their competence. This method won wide acclaim from the people.
From a phrase in the imperial edict came the idiom 画饼充饥 (huà bǐng chōng jī). At first, it means "value empty names", or "enjoy a reputation unwarranted by any real learning". Now, people use it in a new sense. By 画饼充饥 (huà bǐng chōng jī), we mean "feed on illusions" or "console oneself with false hopes".
No comments:
Post a Comment