to make the most of one's youthfulness in one's choice of employment (e.g. modeling)
having nothing better to do
1. vegetative existence2. to consume passively without doing anything useful
1. to eat and drink extravagantly2. to binge
to gorge oneself with food
(neologism, attested by 2024) to stubbornly endure hardships that need not be endured; to go out of one's way to make things difficult for oneself
sufferings brought about by Confucian ethics
1. not to be trifled with2. to be reckoned with
吃人血馒头 吃人血饅頭 chī rén xuè mán tou to take advantage of others' misfortune (idiom)
1. to eat, drink, shit, piss, and sleep2. (fig.) the ordinary daily routine
吃粮不管事 吃糧不管事 chī liáng bù guǎn shì 1. to eat without working (idiom)2. to take one's pay and not care about the rest
1. (coll.) (Tw) to get sacked2. to be fired
to play the wolf in sheep's clothing; to disguise oneself as sth harmless in order to lull one's target into letting their guard down
1. lit. an old cow eats young grass (idiom)2. fig. a May-December relationship3. a romance where the man is significantly older than the woman
一口吃个胖子 一口吃個胖子 yī kǒu chī ge pàng zi 1. lit. to want to get fat with only one mouthful (proverb)2. fig. to try to achieve one's goal in the shortest time possible3. to be impatient for success
吃熊心豹子胆 吃熊心豹子膽 chī xióng xīn bào zi dǎn 1. to eat bear heart and leopard gall (idiom)2. to pluck up some courage
吃饱了饭撑的 吃飽了飯撐的 chī bǎo le fàn chēng de 1. having nothing better to do2. see 吃饱撑着
1. lit. a dog can't stop himself from eating shit (idiom)2. fig. bad habits are hard to change
一口吃不成胖子 yī kǒu chī bù chéng pàng zi 1. lit. you cannot get fat with only one mouthful (proverb)2. fig. any significant achievement requires time, effort and persistence
吃一堑，长一智 吃一塹，長一智 chī yī qiàn , zhǎng yī zhì Fall into the moat and you'll be wiser next time (idiom); One only learns from one's mistakes.
吃水不忘掘井人 chī shuǐ bù wàng jué jǐng rén Drinking the water of a well, one should never forget who dug it. (idiom)
好马不吃回头草 好馬不吃回頭草 hǎo mǎ bù chī huí tóu cǎo 1. lit. a good horse doesn't turn around and graze the same patch again (idiom)2. fig. once you've moved on, don't go back again (romantic relationship, job etc)3. leave the past behind
货比三家不吃亏 貨比三家不吃虧 huò bǐ sān jiā bù chī kuī shop around first and you won't get ripped off (idiom)
闰四月，吃树叶 閏四月，吃樹葉 rùn sì yuè , chī shù yè an intercalary fourth month brings food shortages
小洞不补大洞吃苦 小洞不補大洞吃苦 xiǎo dòng bù bǔ dà dòng chī kǔ A small hole not plugged will make you suffer a big hole (idiom); a stitch in time saves nine
心急吃不了热豆腐 心急吃不了熱豆腐 xīn jí chī bu liǎo rè dòu fu 1. hasty men don't get to eat hot tofu (idiom)2. one just has to be patient3. haste will ruin everything
会哭的孩子有奶吃 會哭的孩子有奶吃 huì kū de hái zi yǒu nǎi chī 1. lit. a child who cries gets to feed at the breast (idiom)2. fig. the squeaky wheel gets the grease
会哭的孩子有糖吃 會哭的孩子有糖吃 huì kū de hái zi yǒu táng chī 1. lit. the child who cries gets the candy (idiom)2. fig. the squeaky wheel gets the grease
不干不净，吃了没病 不乾不淨，吃了沒病 bù gān bù jìng , chī le méi bìng 1. a little dirt never killed anybody (proverb)2. a couple of germs won't do you any harm
吃不到葡萄说葡萄酸 吃不到葡萄說葡萄酸 chī bù dào pú tao shuō pú tao suān 1. sour grapes (set expr. based on Aesop)2. lit. to say grapes are sour when you can't eat them
吃别人嚼过的馍不香 吃別人嚼過的饃不香 chī bié rén jiáo guò de mó bù xiāng 1. lit. bread previously chewed by someone has no flavor (idiom)2. fig. there's no joy in discovering something if someone else got there first
吃屎都赶不上热乎的 吃屎都趕不上熱乎的 chī shǐ dōu gǎn bu shàng rè hu de 1. (lit.) if you were eating warm shit, it'd be stone cold by the time you finished it (saying)2. (fig.) (of a person) too slow; can't keep up
吃着碗里，看着锅里 吃著碗裡，看著鍋裡 chī zhe wǎn lǐ , kàn zhe guō lǐ 1. lit. eyeing what's in the pot as one eats from one's bowl (idiom)2. not content with what one already has3. (of men, typically) to have the wandering eye
看菜吃饭，量体裁衣 看菜吃飯，量體裁衣 kàn cài chī fàn , liàng tǐ cái yī 1. lit. to eat depending on the dish, cut cloth according to the body (idiom)2. fig. to act according to actual circumstances
靠山吃山，靠水吃水 kào shān chī shān , kào shuǐ chī shuǐ 1. lit. the mountain dweller lives off the mountain, the shore dweller lives off the sea (idiom)2. fig. to make the best use of local resources3. to exploit one's position to advance oneself4. to find one's niche+1 条 +2 条 不听老人言，吃亏在眼前 不聽老人言，吃虧在眼前 bù tīng lǎo rén yán , chī kuī zài yǎn qián (idiom) ignore your elders at your peril
吃得苦中苦，方为人上人 吃得苦中苦，方為人上人 chī dé kǔ zhōng kǔ , fāng wéi rén shàng rén 1. one cannot achieve glory and wealth without having been through trials and tribulations (proverb)2. no pain, no gain
哑巴吃黄连，有苦说不出 啞巴吃黃連，有苦說不出 yǎ ba chī huáng lián , yǒu kǔ shuō bu chū 1. to be forced to suffer in silence (idiom)2. unable to speak of one's bitter suffering3. sometimes written 啞子吃黃連，哑子吃黄连，有苦说不出
死了张屠夫，不吃混毛猪 死了張屠夫，不吃混毛豬 sǐ le zhāng tú fū , bù chī hùn máo zhū 1. lit. just because Zhang the butcher dies, doesn't mean we'll have to eat pork mixed with bristles (idiom)2. fig. nobody is indispensable
端起碗吃肉，放下筷子骂娘 端起碗吃肉，放下筷子罵娘 duān qǐ wǎn chī ròu , fàng xià kuài zi mà niáng 1. lit. to eat meat from one's bowl, then put down one's chopsticks and scold one's mother (idiom)2. fig. to complain despite being privileged3. to be ungrateful for what one has been given
又要马儿跑，又要马儿不吃草 又要馬兒跑，又要馬兒不吃草 yòu yào mǎ r pǎo , yòu yào mǎ r bù chī cǎo 1. lit. you can't expect the horse to run fast but not let it graze (idiom)2. fig. you can't have your cake and eat it, too
吃人家的嘴软，拿人家的手短 吃人家的嘴軟，拿人家的手短 chī rén jiā de zuǐ ruǎn , ná rén jiā de shǒu duǎn 1. lit. the mouth that has been fed by others is soft, the hand that has received doesn't reach (idiom)2. fig. one is partial to those from whom presents have been accepted
哑巴吃黄莲 啞巴吃黃蓮 yǎ ba chī huáng lián variant of 哑巴吃黄连[yǎ ba chī huáng lián]
三个和尚没水吃 三個和尚沒水吃 sān gè hé shang méi shuǐ chī see 三个和尚没水喝[sān gè hé shang méi shuǐ hē]