trying to cook without rice; impossible task for lack of means
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesnoun
trying to cook a meal without rice; fig. attempting to accomplish something without the necessary conditions or materials
literaryUsually occurs in the full idiom 巧妇难为无米之炊 (even a clever wife cannot make a meal without rice), but can be used alone as a noun phrase to emphasize the impossibility of a task due to lack of resources.
Méi没
yǒu有
zī资
jīn金
，
zhè这
gè个
xiàng项
mù目
jiù就
shì是
wú无
mǐ米
zhī之
chuī炊
。
Without funding, this project is like trying to cook without rice—an impossible task.
Qiǎo巧
fù妇
nán难
wéi为
wú无
mǐ米
zhī之
chuī炊
，
méi没
yǒu有
yuán原
cái材
liào料
，
gōng工
chǎng厂
zhǐ只
hǎo好
tíng停
gōng工
。
Even a clever wife cannot cook without rice; without raw materials, the factory had no choice but to shut down.
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Ràng让
tā他
xiě写
bào报
gào告
què却
bù不
gěi给
shù数
jù据
，
zhè这
bù不
shì是
wú无
mǐ米
zhī之
chuī炊
ma吗
？
Asking him to write a report without giving him any data—isn't that like asking someone to cook without rice?
Zài在
shā沙
mò漠
lǐ里
zhòng种
shuǐ水
dào稻
，
jiǎn简
zhí直
shì是
wú无
mǐ米
zhī之
chuī炊
shì式
de的
kōng空
xiǎng想
。
Growing rice in the desert is simply a pipe dream as impossible as trying to cook without rice.