console oneself with illusions; feed on fancies
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesverb
to quench one's thirst by thinking of plums; to console oneself with false hopes; to feed on fancies
Derived from a Three Kingdoms story where Cao Cao (曹操) motivated his thirsty troops by falsely claiming that plum trees were ahead, causing the soldiers to salivate and persevere. The idiom often implies that the comfort is illusory and does not solve the actual problem.
Zhè这
zhǒng种
chéng承
nuò诺
zhǐ只
shì是
wàng望
méi梅
zhǐ止
kě渴
，
jiě解
jué决
bu不
liǎo了
shí实
jì际
wèn问
tí题
。
This promise is merely feeding on fancies; it cannot solve the actual problem.
Bié别
zǒng总
shì是
wàng望
méi梅
zhǐ止
kě渴
，
hái还
shì是
xiǎng想
xiǎng想
shí实
jì际
de的
bàn办
fǎ法
ba吧
。
Don't always console yourself with illusions; think of practical solutions instead.
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Gōng公
sī司
huà画
bǐng饼
chōng充
jī饥
、
wàng望
méi梅
zhǐ止
kě渴
de的
fú福
lì利
chéng承
nuò诺
，
yuán员
gōng工
zǎo早
yǐ已
bù不
xìn信
le了
。
Employees no longer believe the company's pie-in-the-sky and illusory welfare promises.
Zài在
méi没
yǒu有
zī资
jīn金
de的
qíng情
kuàng况
xià下
tán谈
kuò扩
zhāng张
，
bù不
guò过
shì是
wàng望
méi梅
zhǐ止
kě渴
bà罢
le了
。
Talking about expansion without funding is nothing but quenching thirst by thinking of plums.